The Chronicles of the RLS Legacy
by All My Friends Are Heathens
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple expedition; an experiment, an exploratory journey through the galaxy on a brand-new, top-of-the-line vessel: The R.L.S. Legacy, captained by the esteemed Amelia Porter and harboring the best crew in the galaxy, exploring more than ever previously believed to be possible. But it became so much more than all that... (Non/Disney characters.)
1. Boarding the Legacy

Jim Hawkins rolled his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette, then looked around the space port to try and occupy his anxious mind with the strange sights all around. He sighed and a thick huff of smoke fled from his lips. Tobacco wasn't commonly used any more; only on poor planets, like Montressor, which was where Jim happened to be from. Pretty much everyone else used high-tech electronic cigarettes. Jim didn't really feel like he was missing out, though.

The year was 3338, and Jim was preparing to be dragged along by his older brothers and an old family friend, Dr. Delbert Doppler, on some voyage throughout the galaxy. From Montressor they would sail through space aboard a new ship called _The Legacy _, which was apparently supposed to be incredibly big and accommodating. All four of them were being paid quite handsomely, so Jim just kind of assumed the ship they were going to work on would be pretty fancy. The little kid in him would have been excited right now, thinking he was about to go on some super exciting pirate adventure. But no, the purpose of this particular ship was simple exploration, but apparently this ship could explore every possible terrain. Well, except land. Then it wouldn't be a ship. But, apparently, this ship could travel on the water, under water, _and _through space. Jim wasn't really sure if he believed that, but he supposed he would just have to wait and see.

Jim wasn't even supposed to go on this journey. Delbert had been offered the job, and asked to invite anyone along who might be useful. That basically entailed Jim's older brothers, Adam and Tarzan. As far as their Aunt Sarah- who'd raised them since their parents were killed in a shipwreck- was concerned, Jim was too young to go. Besides, she needed help working the Inn that she owned and that they all lived in. But, then Jim got kicked out of school for fighting, and his solar-surfing became a really big problem. He was one violation of his probation away from being sent to juvenile hall. So, Delbert volunteered to take Jim along as well, convincing Sarah that the expedition would be good for Jim. She begrudgingly agreed.

Jim would be lying if he said he didn't want to go. As a kid, he'd always dreamed of doing something like this, of going on an adventure. He was just a bit nervous, and didn't want to seem like such a novice. Both of his brothers had traveled quite a bit before; They were seasoned explorers. Even Delbert had been on an expedition before, for something scientific that Jim couldn't bring himself to remember or care about. Jim didn't want to give himself away by doing anything wrong; the last thing he wanted was to get on a ship with a bunch of strangers and still end up being labeled the screw-up. And now, with both his brothers around, it was going to be hard to keep from being compared to them all the time.

Tarzan was way more interesting than him, for sure. Tarzan wasn't his real name, obviously. His real name was William Terrence Hawkins. Tarzan was a nickname he picked up on a visit to Earth when he traversed Africa and showed off to the natives his unique ability to travel through the trees and fit in with the animals. Plus, it sounded a lot better than Terrence. On top of being fit, athletic, acrobatic, strong and tough, Tarzan was just a really cool guy. Patient and sweet-tempered and caring, protective of those he loved and brave enough to do anything to defend them, he was the ideal big brother. On top of being a nice guy, he was really funny, great at impressions, and basically fit in any where you put him. The guy could be friends with anyone. He was tall and lean and imposing, but overall a sweetheart. And he was wild-looking, definitely a man of nature. Tanned skin and intense, stormy eyes were just some of his powerful features, but normally the first thing anyone noticed about him was his hair; He had long, thick, dark brown dreadlocks. Tarzan was 29 years old, too. Still in his prime. He was the ideal sailor; Good at taking orders, but also mindful of when to go on his own course.

Jim was nothing like that.

Then there was 25-year-old Adam. He was a lot like Tarzan in a few ways; He was also a very imposing presence, tall and strong and handsome, with the same stormy eyes and long auburn hair that was usually tamed in a pony tail. (Jim and Tarzan both had darker hair, like their father's, while Adam inherited their mother's hair color.) And, like Tarzan, he was brave and fiercely protective of his loved ones. He could definitely fight if he needed to. But, the thing was that Adam tended to start a lot of fights. Unlike Tarzan, Adam was rude, arrogant, stubborn, insensitive, and, at times, a bit conceited and selfish. He was moody and kept to himself a lot. He liked to be alone. But, when he didn't like something, he was very quick to let everyone know about it. When Adam had a problem, it became _everyone's _problem. And, while Tarzan was imposing, Adam was actually threatening. He was the tallest of the three brothers- he always tended to be the tallest person in any room- standing at six feet and two inches. Tarzan was only five feet and eleven inches tall. Adam was also the strongest of the three, and tended to use his height and strength to his advantage to frighten people. Yes, Adam could be a bit of a bully when he wanted to. He liked scaring people with his beastly behavior; He liked having that power over people. He was the ideal soldier, someone to scare people away from tampering with the ship.

Jim was also nothing like that.

Yeah, the kids at school had always considered Jim to be scary or whatever, assuming that he was just like his brothers. But since Jim found himself comparing the three of them, he knew he was nothing like them. His brothers made him feel short and weak. He was 5'7, which he supposed was actually average height for his age- 17- and weighed about 120 pounds, which was mostly muscle, but still nothing compared to the two specimens he grew up against. And while his brothers actually had reasons for being so tough, and they were both all grown up and manly, Jim just felt like he was some dumb little punk. But now he had a chance to prove himself; to be a worthy comparison against his brothers. He was planning to make the effort on this trip, and give his aunt back home and his dead parents a reason to be proud of him.

Adam groaned angrily, rolling his eyes. His lean, strong arms were crossed over his toned chest and his thick eyebrows drew together in a childish pout. 'Where the hell is Doppler? We're gonna be late for our ship!"

Tarzan chuckled at his brother's impatience. "Calm down, Adam. Delbert helped finance this expedition, remember? He's not going to make us late."

It was then that Delbert Doppler finally emerged from a tiny travel pod that had just arrived, wearing a ridiculous metal space suit that was definitely out of commission and carrying a large pack on his back. "Hello, boys!" Delbert called in his usual frantic tone, stumbling over to them. He sighed and pulled off his helmet- which looked like a fish bowl- giving his floppy ears room to wiggle around comically. He smiled around at the three brothers, the sunlight gleaming off his glasses. "Are we ready?"

Adam rolled his eyes again and grumbled, "It's about time", leading them toward where _The Legacy _was supposed to be waiting for them. Tarzan chuckled as he walked beside Jim. Delbert clunked along behind them clumsily, struggling to move quickly in the junky old space suit. Tarzan smirked and clapped a hand on Jim's shoulder.

"You ready for this, Jimmy?" His oldest brother asked in his usual low, calming tone.

Jim gave him a small smile in return. "As ready as I'll ever be." He hoped Tarzan couldn't sense how fast his heart was beating.

Tarzan chuckled and turned away. "It's gonna be great, Jim. Mom and dad would be really proud..."

Jim looked down at his shoes. He hadn't really known his parents. He was a baby when they died. And while Adam and Tarzan had both been hit really hard by their deaths as children, Jim still envied both of them for having actually known their parents, for having experiences and loving memories of who they really were. All Jim had were pictures and stories from everyone else who got to know them.

"Whoa..." Adam breathed up ahead, coming to a stop. The other three gathered around him and gaped up in awe at what they would be traveling in for the next year. Jim's cigarette fell out of his open mouth.

_The Legacy _was rumored to be the largest ship ever made, and now they knew that people really weren't kidding. The massive vessel towered over them, but it's design wasn't bulky or heavy. It was elegant and regal in design, sleek and bright, but definitely fit for battle, if necessary. And, unlike any exploratory ships before it, this one could carry a crew of up to 100 _and _ all their luggage and an extensive amount of cargo. This ship would also be carrying a lot of trade. Although there were plenty of parties financing the expedition, seeing the ship let Jim know that they'd be needing all the money they could get. After all, they weren't pirates looking for treasure. As they drew closer to the hovering naval vessel, Jim spotted a large, dark, spindly, foreboding mass attached to the bottom of the ship. That must have been why it was so big; to carry this thing. Jim squinted his eyes to try to examine the thing further, but Delbert was rushing him along and a glimpse was all he could get. If Jim had to guess, that was probably a submarine.

As they were about to board, Jim said, "You guys go ahead. I have to wait for Peter."

Adam scoffed. "We might as well leave without him. You know he's gonna be late!"

Peter Pan was Jim's best friend, and had been as long as Jim could remember. Peter was the most mischievous, devious, immature kid around, always pulling pranks and getting into trouble; but always managing to get out of it. He wasn't violent, like Jim, but his track record was still just as bad.

"Yeah, Jim... Are you sure bringing him along is such a good idea?" Tarzan asked.

"Guys, chill out. Tink'll make sure he gets here on time. Just sign us in." Jim said, rolling his eyes. He was referring to Tinkerbell, an alien sprite that Peter had picked up randomly one day. She'd just kind of clung to him ever since. He was the only person who understood her when she spoke; to everyone else her words sounded like squeaky nonsense. Apparently Peter being able to understand had something to do with "bonding" for her species, so Tink was really possessive of Peter. It only made for more trouble for Peter, especially since Tink did have quite a little temper. But she could also be a good influence on Peter; somehow, she was more stubborn than him. So Jim didn't doubt that she'd be able to force him to be on time.

Adam gave Tarzan an incredulous look. Tarzan just shrugged and headed inside. Adam shook his head as he followed. Delbert gave Jim a fretful look before heading in noisily himself. Jim smirked and turned to look over the port, ignoring the other people who were boarding. A few people tried to smile or wave at him, but he acted like he didn't notice. Jim wasn't much of a people person; people gave him anxiety.

"Hey, Hawkins!" A cheerful voice called as it was coming up the ramp. Jim grinned at Peter as he approached with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The bag only looked half-full. After all, Peter didn't have many belongings to his name. Hovering above his head was a spot of pure light, gentle specks of golden dust drifting off the tiny form of Tinkerbell, who was chattering excitedly in gibberish while Peter ignored her and gave Jim his usual impish grin. Peter pulled off his hat and shook some of Tink's dust- "fairy dust", as they so fondly called it- out of it, then whipped his shaggy red hair around to rid himself of it. Tink whined at this. She was always covering Peter with the stuff, and it always bothered her when he cleaned it off. They'd always figured it was just another bonding thing, since Tink's explanations never made sense, even to Peter. Peter placed his hat back on his head and tipped it toward Jim with a devilish smirk. "Hope you weren't waiting on me."

Jim chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just come on, Peter. Before Adam comes looking for you." He turned and headed in, knowing that Peter would follow. Peter would never admit it, but Adam scared the hell out of him.

As they walked in, Jim heard Peter gasp behind him. Tink let out a tiny squeal of delight. Jim tried to remain casual, but he was just as shocked as they were. This ship was even bigger on the _inside. _Jim spotted a map hanging on the wall nearby, kind of like the maps you might see in a shopping center to help direct people.

_That's how big this thing is... _Jim thought in awe as he looked around. _It has different levels. _With just a glance at the map, Jim could see that the ship had three levels, not including the sub clinging to the bottom. Looking around at this floor alone, Jim couldn't wait to see how the other two compared. He was really excited to see the deck. He could only imagine what it would look like when they launched. The excited chatter all around gave Jim a little confidence to show his own eagerness. He grinned at all the busy people buzzing around happily. Jim turned to Peter and laughed at his gaping expression.

"Come on, Pan. Let's go to the deck. I think Doppler and my brothers went up there." Jim smirked and led the way. Peter laughed as he followed. As they were heading up to the deck, they passed two brunette girls running toward each other and ecstatically embracing. Peter couldn't help but watch, it was such a spectacle. His attention was caught by one of the girls in particular; while the other one was human, this one was part feline, if he had to guess. Her ears were slightly pointed and perked up in excitement, and when she grinned you could see that her teeth were sharpened into fangs. She also wore a dress that was a bright and alarming shade of yellow. She was really quite a sight, but Peter supposed they would be seeing plenty of interesting aliens on the crew.

"Belle!" The alien cried happily with a chipper English accent as they hugged.

"Jane!" Belle giggled in return, revealing a light French accent. The two pulled apart and grinned at each other. Peter turned away and followed Jim.

"I'm so glad you could come! I was so worried you didn't get my message." Jane said excitedly. "It's been so long! How's your father?"

Belle laughed, a bit overwhelmed by Jane's exuberance. "Papa's doing well. He's working at home at the moment."

"Oh, that's too bad, father would have loved to see him today."

Belle sighed. "I know. Papa's just been very busy lately..."

"Well, of course. Inventing is quite the business. Well, they'll simply have to meet up at some point after the expedition."

"I'm sure papa would love that! Now, where is that crazy father of yours?"

Jane giggled. "He's up on the deck with Wendy and Amelia."

"Wendy's here, too?" Belle gasped.

Jane nodded and grinned, showing off her fangs. "Yes, she's finally old enough for exploration! She's grown so much since last you saw her."

"Well, take me to her! I have to see for myself!"

"Right!" Jane giggled and took Belle by the hand, leading her up to the deck. As they approached, they saw Captain Amelia teasing another alien, who seemed to be a dog, over his ridiculous-looking space suit while four boys and a sprite giggled behind the indignant man. Jane put on a mock expression of disapproval as they drew closer. "Must you always show off, Amelia?"

The older woman, whose feline features were much more prominent than Jane's, turned to see Jane's stern expression give away to a smirk. Amelia chuckled haughtily. "Only if you're involved, little sister." Then Amelia spotted Belle and grinned. "Ah, Belle! So glad you could make it!"

"I am, too. Believe me." Belle replied, her hazel eyes shining. Then she spotted Jane and Amelia's human father, Archimedes Q. Porter, standing by with his usual friendly smile, and rushed over to hug him. The two shared a laugh as Belle pulled back to smile down at the old man. "Thank you so much for inviting me along. I hope it's not costing you much..."

"Sweetheart, I'm financing this expedition, I can do whatever I want." Archimedes said with a laugh. "Besides, it was a great coincidence that Montressor just happened to be our last stop, as well as the home of a substantial amount of our crew. Don't you think?"

Belle giggled in response. "Yes, I suppose so. Now, where's Wendy?"

Archimedes grinned and pointed toward where a young girl in cutesy blue dress and a matching bow in her curly brown hair looking over the side of the ship in amazement. Belle smiled and snuck up beside the girl, then cleared her throat. Wendy turned to her expectantly, her cat-like eyes shimmering. It took her a second to recognize Belle, since it had been so long. Then, her eyes lit up and her slightly pointed ears twitched excitedly. "Belle!" She threw her slim arms around Belle's neck and Belle laughed as she wrapped the younger girl up in a hug. As they pulled away, Belle grinned down at her and asked, "Are you excited?"

"Oh, yes!" Wendy cried, daintily clapping her hands.

Belle laughed. "Come, let's see what the others are talking about." She took Wendy by the hand and led her to where Amelia was introducing Archimedes to the dog-man.

"Father, this is Dr. Delbert Doppler, another financier of this voyage. Dr. Doppler, meet my dear pop, Archimedes Q. Porter." Amelia spoke proudly as the two men shook hands.

"Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Doppler." Archimedes said in a friendly tone, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"And you too, Professor. I'm a big fan." Delbert said humbly.

Archimedes turned to Amelia. "And when will we be seeing Mr. Whitmore, my dear?"

"Oh, I'm afraid he couldn't make it today. We won't be meeting in person till we get back, but we will be communicating regularly over the holophone." Amelia replied. "His associates will be joining us shortly, though. And..." She pulled out a pocket watch and frowned at the time. "Knowing Mr. Merlin, he will be arriving late."

"So there are a few of us financing this trip? No wonder it was so cheap." Doppler mused, then forced a chuckle at his own joke.

Everyone just kind of stared at him. The boys in his company all rolled their eyes or groaned in embarrassment. Amelia smirked and remarked, "Yes... Quite. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to deal with some other matters. If you need anything, Mr. Arrow is right over there." She pointed toward a tall bulky man in regal uniform who seemed to be made of stone. Then she walked away quite purposefully, her eyes narrowing on a new group. "I was not told that there would be a slobbering mutt among your company, Mr. Sinbad."

"What, Spike?" The handsome Greek man asked mildly, patting the top of the dog's head. "He's harmless."

"I don't care. He's not allowed on my ship." Amelia said plainly.

"Well, no Spike, no me. And without me, you're missing a pretty big chunk of finances, aren't you?" Sinbad asked with a smirk.

Amelia hissed. "Your ill-gotten finances! I shouldn't have even allowed you on this ship. Do _not _make me regret that decision any further." Amelia turned and stormed off with her head held high.

Sinbad rolled his eyes while his wife, Marina, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Sinbad gave Spike another pat on the head.

"Uh, Sinbad? Maybe pissing off the Captain is a bad idea." Kale said with a smirk.

Sinbad scoffed. "Right. Hey, Rat! Check out those sails, huh?"

"Aye, sir!" Rat was already scaling the mast.

"What was Puss in Boots' problem?" A new, naturally sarcastic voice asked.

Sinbad turned to grin at his younger sister, Meg, and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. "Ah, forget about that, sis. Just stay on Amelia's good side and we'll be good to go."

"So...keep my mouth shut?" Meg smirked.

Sinbad shrugged. "If you have to." He gave her a quick wink. "Now. Take Spike for a walk around the deck, will ya'?"

"Sure." Meg droned unenthusiastically as she led the dog away.

She got halfway across the deck when an unfamiliar and energetic voice called, "Hey! Cool dog!" Meg looked up to see a young red-headed boy jogging up to her with a sparkly bug flitting around his weird hat. Meg raised an eyebrow. "Thanks..."

"Can I pet him? Is he friendly?" The boy asked even though he was already letting Spike lick his hand.

Meg wrinkled her nose. "Sure... If you don't mind drool."

The kid laughed as the dog jumped up on him. "He's so cute. What's his name?"

"Spike." Meg said indifferently.

"Cool..." The boy scratched Spike behind the ears. He looked up at Meg. "I'm Peter, by the way. And this is Tink." He gestured toward the bug, which Meg realized upon closer inspection was actually a little sprite. "What's your name?"

"Megara. But everyone calls me Meg."

"Cool. Do you know anyone here?"

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Just my dumb brother and his crew."

"Ah, okay. Well, do you want to meet my friends?"

Meg really didn't want to, but she figured there was no use avoiding it. She would be working with these people, after all. "Sure. Why not."

"Cool." Peter started leading her toward his group. Before reaching them, Meg spotted two other cat creatures and a flighty dog species. Spike was immediately interested in him, but Meg managed to keep him from barreling toward the man.

"Hey, guys." Peter greeted the others as they drew closer. He gestured toward Meg and Spike. "This us Meg and her dog, Spike. Meg, these are..." He gestured to each person in turn, "Dr. Doppler, Tarzan, Adam, Jim, Belle, Wendy, Jane and Archimedes."

Meg saluted lazily. "Hey, there."

"It's very nice to meet you, dear." Archimedes said in his unarming tone. "Are you here by yourself, or...?"

"I'm here with my brother." Meg replied flatly, already knowing what was about to happen.

"Oh? Who might that be?" The old man asked, looking around.

"Sinbad."

Archimedes blanched at this. The others also looked taken aback. Archimedes stuttered, "S - Sinbad?"

Meg smirked. "I see our reputation precedes us. Don't worry, no piracy this time around. We're just here for honest exploring, like the rest of you."

Jane lifted an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. "Really?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Yeah. We gave up pirating when we lost our ship."

"How did you lose it?" Jim asked innocently.

Meg suddenly didn't feel like talking to these people any more. "Not important. Excuse me." She abruptly turned and walked away, dragging Spike with her.

"Well... Quite an interesting crew we've got here." Tarzan said with a quiet chuckle. Adam grunted in agreement, looking around sternly at the deck. Tarzan looked up at him for a moment with a blank expression to guard his concern. "Adam? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Adam frowned as he followed Tarzan toward the side of the ship. He watched as Tarzan looked around to make sure no one would hear. Adam had a sneaking suspicion of what this was about and felt irritation creep into his tone. "What is it?"

Tarzan sighed. "Are you sure this trip won't be an...issue for you?"

Adam narrowed his eyes at his older brother and growled, "What?"

Tarzan shrugged. "Well, Adam, we're going to be surrounded by complete strangers this time, you know? This isn't our usual crew, these are brand-new people. We don't know how well you'll get along with them, or what reactions they might bring out of you. I just want to be sure that you'll be able to control it, okay? So tell me right now, is there any slight doubt in your head?"

"What? No!"

"Because if there is, there would be no shame in heading back home right now. Sarah could probably use some help with the Inn, and me and Delbert and Jim could cover for you..."

"No! I'm going on this trip!" Adam realized how his voice was building in volume and quickly caught himself, glancing around at the few people who were looking at him now. He glared down at Tarzan and hissed, "I can control it, okay?"

Tarzan raised an eyebrow. "So there won't be any incidents?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "_No._"

Tarzan stared up at his younger brother for a moment, and Adam began to grow more annoyed. Did Tarzan really not trust him? Finally, Tarzan nodded and muttered, "Alright... Just control that temper of yours. Okay?"

Adam scoffed.

Tarzan looked him in the eye and deadpanned, "I'm serious."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay."

"Good. Now let's join the others before they start to get suspicious."

As they were approaching the group, they saw that a new group had just joined them as well. At the lead was a scrawny young man with awkwardly cut auburn hair and round glasses that continued to slip down his narrow nose, no matter how many times he shoved them up to his eyes with his bony forefinger. He was chattering excitedly with Archimedes while his friends stood by and either looked bored or amused by their flighty friend. There was an older woman smoking a cigarette and looking completely indifferent as she had her own conversation with another old woman over an older model holophone. Next to her was a young Hispanic girl. _Really _young. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. She wore overalls and heavy black boots; a mechanic's attire. And she was watching the red headed boy talking to Archimedes with a twinkle of amusement in her brown eyes. She leaned over to Jim and murmured something to him that made him smirk. Nearby, a lean Italian man was in an argument with a tall dark-skinned man, who seemed upset about the Italian tampering with some explosives. Another woman with skin even darker than the irate man was standing by, rolling her eyes with her arms crossed. A short, round and dirty - looking man was giggling incessantly at his companions and muttering in French. Tarzan and Adam shared a short look before Tarzan cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to their arrival.

"Ah! There you two are!" Archimedes remarked cheerily. He gestured toward the thin red-head at his side. "This is Milo Thatch and his crew, the representatives of Mr. James Whitmore. Milo's a historian, archeologist, and a linguist! Isn't that impressive?"

Milo blushed bright red. "Thank you, sir..."

"It's nice to meet you, Milo." Tarzan said in his usual friendly tone. Then he looked at the others in Milo's company. "And you all are...?"

"Name's Sweet. Joshua Sweet. I'll be the ship's doctor." The tall black man said with a wide grin. He gestured toward the dark woman at his side. Her smile was bright and dazzling in contrast with her rich skin tone. "This is my wife, Tiana."

"Hey, there." Tiana greeted warmly, a pleasant New Orleans' drawl in her lovely voice. "I'm gonna be the chef for ya'll. That is, if Cookie doesn't destroy the kitchen before I get to it..."

"Cookie?" Adam asked with a confused expression.

Sweet chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You'll meet him eventually."

"He's an idiot." The older woman with the cigarette briefly interrupted her conversation on the holophone to answer in a bored, rough tone. Then she continued to ignore them all.

"Don't mind Packard. She's a little rough around the edges, but you'll get used to it." The young Hispanic girl in the overalls said with a smirk. She waved at them. "I'm Audrey, by the way. I'm the mechanic."

Tarzan and Adam both had wide, disbelieving eyes.

She rolled her eyes at their expressions. "I'm not too young, okay? Jeez, how long have I been in this profession and everyone still doubts me...?" She muttered to herself and turned away. As she crossed her arms in irritation, she caught Jim smirking at her and felt tiny little butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm Vinny. I do explosives." The Italian man who was previously arguing with Sweet continued the introductions.

Sweet and his wife both rolled their eyes. Sweet admonished Vinny, "That's pretty much _all _you do, fool! _Especially _at the times when you _really _shouldn't." Tiana chuckled and lightly patted her husband's arm, making him smile down at her.

"And, um..." Tarzan gestured awkwardly toward the rotund Frenchman who was continually rolling around on the floor. "Who's that?"

"We call him Mole." Tiana supplied the answer with a displeased look on her face. When Tarzan and Adam both raised an eyebrow in questioning expressions, Vinny flatly added, "He likes to dig."

Adam continued to look disturbed while Tarzan simply nodded in understanding, as if that explained everything. "Right..."

"Is there...more of a story there? Or...?" Adam frowned.

Sweet held up a hand and sighed. "You don't wanna know."

"But-" Adam tried to argue.

"No. No, no. Trust me." Sweet said gravely. "You don't wanna know."

"Okay, then..." Tarzan said, smirking up at the befuddled Adam. Then Tarzan edged his way over to Jim and whispered, "Well? What do you think?"

Jim chuckled and muttered. "Yeah... The crew's pretty interesting."

Meanwhile, Amelia was preparing to hurl them all out of the atmosphere. She stood by the wheel with Mr. Arrow while one of their best sailors, Eric, was steering and preparing for take-off. She spotted Dr. Delbert approaching and rolled her eyes. She could tell that he was going to be a problem for her. She looked regally over the deck, smiling lightly at the swarms of people. Then she turned to two of her best officers. "Phoebus! Smith!" She called.

Two tall men with shaggy blonde hair, one with a scruffy stubble and one clean-shaven, both decorated war heroes in valiant armor, turned to look obediently up at her. Phoebus wore ornately designed golden armor while John Smith's armor was, plain and simple (slightly worn out), silver.

"Yes, Captain?" John called back heartily.

"Have Merlin and his company arrived?" She asked.

Phoebus pointed toward where an older man with a long white beard, a floor-reaching blue trench coat, a silly hat, and a rather large brown owl sitting on his shoulder, was conversing with Archimedes while three young boys stood behind him shyly or looked around in awe. "They've just arrived, Ma'am!"

"Excellent! And what of the others?" She asked with a feral grin.

"Not sure, Captain. I'll check to see if everyone's signed in." John nodded dutifully and walked briskly away. Amelia nodded to herself with a smirk, pleased with her choice in crew. John momentarily came back and called, "All are present and accounted for, Captain Amelia."

"Brilliant!" Her feline eyes lit up and she cast her anticipating gaze skyward while Mr. Arrow smirked at her. She grinned and said, "Let's let the crew know to brace themselves, gentlemen! Tell everyone to prepare for launch!"


	2. Prepare For Launch

"The captain wanted me to let you all know that we are preparing for launch. Be ready for things to get a little bumpy. We are heading into space, after all." A tall blond man in plain silver armor told Merlin and his group.

Merlin, an older man with an owl sitting upon his shoulder, smiled at the man. "Thank you, Officer...um..."

"Smith. John Smith." He replied with a light smile. He held out a hand and Merlin shook it. "I'm hoping to enjoy a successful voyage with you, Professor Merlin."

Merlin grinned up at the young man. "I return that sentiment, Mr. Smith. Whole-heartedly!"

John chuckled and walked away. He noticed a young blond girl in a blue dress standing at the edge of the ship and peeking curiously over the railing, probably trying to catch a glimpse of the submarine. John smirked and rolled his eyes as he approached her.

"Alice, I thought I told you to wait below deck." He playfully admonished his younger sister.

Alice turned to him and crossed her arms, pouting childishly. "You're not really going to make me miss out on the launch, are you?"

"Well..." John looked around as if to be sure no one was listening in. He sighed, as though defeated. "No, I suppose not. But don't tell mom, okay? She's all paranoid that the artificial gravity won't kick in and you'll get sucked into a black hole or something."

Alice giggled and used her thumb to make an "x" over her heart. "Cross my heart, I won't tell mother."

"And also, don't get sucked into any black holes. I'll never hear the end of it when I get home."

Alice laughed and threw her arms around her older brother. He smiled as he hugged her back.

"Thanks for convincing mom to let you bring me along." Alice told him sincerely.

"It was no problem." He assured her. "I knew you needed some adventure. And I always promised I'd bring you along someday. This just seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"Honestly, John, this is more than I ever could have dreamed of." Alice said, looking up at him meaningfully. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't embarrass me."

She laughed. "Alright."

He grinned and patted the top of her blond head. "And get ready for the adventure of your life."

He stood with her at the edge of the ship to watch the launch, not noticing a young gypsy girl who checked him out with her emerald eyes as she passed him by.

Her friend giggled at her side. "Jeez, Esme, drool much?"

Esmeralda laughed. "Sorry, Chel. I just can't help noticing all the eye candy on board."

"I wish I could relate, but I've got Tulio for that now." Chel grinned at the group of three men walking ahead of them. Then she turned to Esmeralda with a more serious expression. "Besides, you know your brother won't let any of these guys near you. You've had enough dirtbag boyfriends breathing down your neck the last few years."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Clopin can't control my life. I'll make him lighten up."

Chel popped up an eyebrow. "How?"

"By showing him that I can find a decent guy."

Chel laughed. "Please, you just wanna get laid."

Esme giggled and playfully pushed her friend. "Shut up, you."

They were forced to stop walking when their male companions met up with a strange-looking group of people. They were eagerly greeted by a kindly old man in a blue coat who had a large owl sitting on his shoulder. The old man adjusted his spectacles as he grinned at the approaching group.

"Tulio and Miguel, I presume?" The old man asked cheerily as he shook both of their hands.

Tulio, a skinny man with a dark ponytail, grinned in response. "The very same."

"In the flesh!" Miguel, Tulio's blond best friend, chimed in with his naturally cheerful demeanor.

Tulio gestured toward another skinny, dark-haired man with darker skin. "And this is our business associate, Clopin, and his sister, Esmeralda." Clopin did a little bow and Esmeralda waved. Then Tulio pulled Chel close and added, "And this is my, uh, _significant other, _Chel."

Chel happily shook the old man's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Merlin. Thank you for calling us about this trip."

"It was no trouble, my dear." Merlin chuckled. "I knew it would be a crime to not bring your group along."

"Wait a minute... Are you truthfully the men who found El Dorado, the Planet of Gold?" A canine-looking alien asked Tulio and Miguel, his ears twitching excitedly.

Tulio nodded with a laugh. "Yes... That's actually where we found Chel." He shared a loving look with her.

"Wait, you're _from _there?" A young girl in a pair of baggy overalls asked in amazement.

"Oh, tell us all about it!" A young woman who appeared to be part cat eagerly cried, her feline eyes shining with excitement. "Is it as beautiful as all the legends say?"

"Um..." Chel faltered, obviously flustered.

"Chel doesn't really like to talk about it." Esmeralda stepped in to save her friend. After shooting Tulio a look as if to say, _'Way to go, genius', _she smiled politely at the others. "Let's just say that we left her planet better off than how we found it."

"Oh, of course. So sorry to trouble you." Another old man clad in expedition clothes with a bushy white mustache said regretfully.

Chel shook her head. "No, it's fine. I understand your curiosity."

"Oh, where are my manners!" Merlin cried. "We know all of your names, but I've yet to introduce you to everyone here! Now, let's see..."

As he began going around the group for introductions, Esmeralda's attention was caught by a tall, dark-haired young man with cinnamon-colored skin and beautiful hazel eyes. She couldn't help staring at him as he was having a conversation with John and Alice by the edge of the ship. John said something that made him laugh and when he smiled, he exposed a perfect set of white teeth and a pair of dimples to die for. Esmeralda bit her lip, feeling herself blush. The guy finally noticed her staring and she quickly ducked her head in embarrassment. Since when did she get so hung up on a guy at first glance?

Naveen grinned as he watched the startled girl with the black hair and emerald eyes look away from him. He couldn't help staring at her; She was gorgeous.

John followed his gaze and smirked when he saw what Naveen was looking at.

"You've been on the ship all of five minutes and you're already looking at your options?" John joked, getting Naveen's attention again.

Naveen chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's not like that, John... I'm looking for something real now."

John's eyebrows shot up and Alice giggled.

Naveen rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious. That's actually part of why father helped finance this trip. He wants me to have one last adventure, get it out of my system. And then hopefully find a girl to settle down with so I can buckle down and help him run the company."

John laughed and shook his head. "What universe does your delusional father live in?"

Naveen laughed now, too. "I honestly have no idea."

"Well, I'd avoid ship romances if I were you. There are enough opportunities for awkward situations without sexual tension." John said.

When he heard Alice giggle, he looked down at her seriously and added, "Do _not _repeat that to mom."

Alice bit her lip on another laugh and defensively held up her hands. Naveen laughed, and couldn't help sharing another look with the beautiful girl with the emerald eyes.

Captain Amelia was in the middle of looking things over when a familiar furry face caught her eye. She grinned and leapt down to the deck to greet her old friend. He wasn't even surprised, he just grinned at the sight of her.

"Robin Hood, as I live and breathe! I thought I saw your name on our roster!" Amelia happily shook his paw.

The Fox chuckled and patted her shoulder with his free hand. "Oh, you know I wouldn't miss this for the world! And I must say, I felt a bit put out when you didn't invite me along and I had to hear about it from some scum in the pub." Robin pouted at her.

Amelia frowned. "Scum in the pub?"

He smirked and gestured over the side of the ship. "Don't tell me you didn't notice who else is in this port."

Amelia rolled her eyes at the sight of a smaller, proudly gleaming pirate ship painted red a gold. She scoffed when she saw a few dastardly familiar faces watching the _Legacy _mischievously. "Of course I noticed the _Jolly Roger. _Why do you think I'm in such a hurry to launch? I want to get out of here before they're even ready to. Speaking of which..." She turned to narrow her eyes at a young Hispanic girl. "Audrey!"

The girl, as well as all of her friends, jumped to attention.

Amelia sighed. "What part of 'get ready to launch' did you not understand? Hmm?"

"Oh!" Audrey exclaimed, booking it below deck to the engine room.

Robin laughed while Amelia rolled her eyes back over to him. In spite of herself, she was smirking.

"You did check the ship for any tampering, correct?" Robin asked her.

Amelia cast one more nasty look toward the _Jolly Roger _before answering him. "Yes. Mr. Arrow, Smith, Phoebus and myself have each checked this ship from head-to-toe, every nook and cranny. We're in tip-top shape. Nothing to worry about!" Amelia proudly turned her nose up into the air, then shrank a little in annoyance. "As long as we can get out of here ahead of those bloody pirates..." She sighed impatiently and muttered, "Why did I take on such a young crew?"

Robin chuckled as he looked around at the others on board. With the exception of a few, this crew consisted of some pretty young folk- practically _kids._

"Any way. I have a job to get back to." She clapped Robin on the shoulder as she began to walk away. "We'll be launching very shortly. Try to mingle!"

Robin smirked and shook his head, holding his duffle close as he walked toward the bow of the ship.

As he passed a couple of young men, one of them- who looked to be of Arabian descent- whispered to the other, "Dude, that's Robin Hood!"

Robin grinned as he heard the other man scoff and say, "Dude, no way.", and continued walking away from them.

Aladdin shot his life-long best friend and partner in crime, Flynn Rider, and incredulous look. "I'm telling you, it's _him._"

Flynn smirked. "Al, you say that about every Fox we see."

"Okay, but this time I'm serious! Look, he's got the bow and arrows!"

Flynn shook his head and chuckled at his excitable friend. "Plenty of people use those, Al. I saw a girl with a similar model earlier below deck."

Aladdin stared at his friend. "Why don't you want to admit that it's him? I mean, Robin Hood is our childhood idol!"

"Not so loud." Flynn hissed, looking around. Once he was sure that no one had heard, he glared at Aladdin and began to whisper intensely. "Robin Hood stole for good reason. We did not. Now, don't ever mention our past life of crime, because, despite our infamy, I've somehow managed to assure the Captain that we've moved on from petty thievery, and that we aren't a couple of bungling pirates set on finding treasure, so it's really important that you don't blow it and get us kicked off the ship!"

Aladdin sighed and nodded. "Alright, I get it."

"Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Now, we both have our marks. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Al."

Aladdin shot him an annoyed look, but didn't reply. He turned away from Flynn, and his attention was immediately caught by a strange old man with a giant owl perched on his shoulder.

"Oh, boys!" Merlin was saying to the three teenagers in his care. "Perhaps you'd like to go put your bags down in your room before the launch?"

The first boy, a scrawny sixteen-year-old with shaggy blond hair, smiled and shook his head. "It'll take us forever to find the room, Merlin. We don't want to be late to seeing it."

Merlin chuckled. "Alright then, Arthur." He looked over at the other two. "Taran? Mowgli?"

Taran, who was the same age as Arthur but a few inches taller with a mop of brown hair atop his head, grinned and replied, "We'd rather stay up here with you, Merlin. We'll find our room afterward."

Mowgli, a younger Indian boy who looked uncomfortable in his clothes, nodded in agreement.

Merlin smiled at the boys and nodded. "Of course, alright." He turned his smile on the others now. "Can't blame them for their excitement. I wouldn't want to miss the launch, either. What about you, Archimedes?"

Mr. Porter looked over to see Merlin fondly stroking the feathery chest of his pet owl. He frowned and asked, "Excuse me?"

Merlin looked confused for a moment, then laughed at himself. "Oh! My apologies. I didn't mean _you, _Archimedes. I meant my _owl, _Archimedes. Oh, I didn't even think about that. I hope there won't be too much confusion about it in the room..."

Dr. Doppler's eyebrows shot up. "That bird is staying on our cabin with us?"

"Why, yes, of course he is!" Merlin chuckled. "Where else would he go?"

"That won't be a problem for you, will it, Delbert?" Jim asked with a devious grin while both his brothers tried not to laugh at Doppler's expression.

Dr. Doppler took a deep breath and forced a smile. "No. No, of course not."

"Well, I would assume so!" The owl suddenly cried indignantly, startling everyone. His feathers ruffled up in his offended state. "I have as much a right to a cabin as you do, Mutt!"

Doppler's eyes bugged out of his head. "Good heavens!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Archimedes, I told you to keep quiet!"

"I haven't said anything..." Mr. Porter replied quietly.

Wendy and Jane both giggled at their father while Merlin's three charges tried not to laugh aloud at the argument ensuing between Merlin and the alien owl.

Adam looked down at the pretty brunette girl with the hazel eyes who stood by Jane's side.

"Some crew, huh?" He mumbled in her direction, not really expecting her to answer.

She smiled. "Yes, I think I'll get along with them beautifully. Everyone back home believed me to be rather odd, as well."

Adam was surprised by the light French accent in her pleasant voice. He turned to actually face her. "What's your name?"

She grinned up at him and put out her dainty hand for him to shake. "Belle."

"I'm Adam." He smirked a little as he took her hand in his and shook it.

Jim and Tarzan shared a look of disbelief. Adam hardly spoke to anyone, let alone girls. Girls made him feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. What made this girl any different?

Really, they were both more worried about Belle's safety than they were about anyone's feelings getting hurt.

Everyone's attention was caught when Captain Amelia called up to Eric, who was steering the ship, "I've just heard from engineering! We're good to go! Commence launch sequence!"

Eric nodded and began to press some buttons. "Aye-aye, Captain!"

Captain Amelia grinned at the rest of the crew. "Be sure to hold onto any loose items, ladies and gentlemen! We're leaving the atmosphere, after all!"

Jane giggled. "I just love how excited she gets about the launching."

"Yes, it is quite sweet, isn't it?" Mr. Porter chuckled.

The ship began to lift away from the dock and hover into the air. Everyone held onto something, or someone, and watched in amazement as they slowly climbed out of the atmosphere. A few people called out in alarm when their feet began to lift off of the ground. Seeing how some people were floating around the deck, (including Dr. Doppler, who was screaming and doing somersaults in the air), Captain Amelia grinned at Eric, who was clinging to the steering mechanism.

"Could we, perhaps, engage the artificial gravity, Eric?" She asked him.

Eric looked amused as he began to press another sequence of buttons. After everyone had safely landed on their feet on the deck, (aside from Doppler, who landed on his head, making his bizarre space suit clatter noisily against the wood), Eric told her, "Sorry, Captain. Just thought I'd make it interesting for them."

Amelia chuckled and gestured toward the sparkling stars that lay outside their invisible protective shield. "But what could be more interesting than that view, helmsman?"

Eric grinned in agreement with her as Mr. Arrow and Phoebus joined them.

John was standing with Alice at the side of the ship, keeping an arm around her as they both gazed into space. Alice gasped in delight as she took in the sight of all the stars twinkling around them.

"It's beautiful..." She whispered.

John smiled down at her.

Jim was busy watching Montressor shrink behind them. Tarzan clapped a hand on his shoulder and asked him, "You gonna miss it?"

Jim shrugged and shook his head. "Not particularly."

Tarzan grinned. "Good. You're not going to regret this trip, Jimmy. We're going to be seeing some beautiful places."

Jim wasn't really one for sight-seeing; He wondered more about what cool aliens they might meet. But he didn't doubt that they would be visiting some amazing planets.

"Let's jump to warp, Eric!" Amelia commanded with a feral grin, eager to plunge them all into deep space.

Eric smirked as he nodded and began to hit more buttons. "Aye, Captain."

"Hold onto something!" Mr. Arrow called down to the rest of their crew.

Everyone gathered at the sides of the ship and firmly gripped the railing, or took a secure seat on a set of stairs nearby. The ship began to hum as everyone anticipated the jump.

"Oh, this is gonna make me sick for sure..." Milo muttered. Tiana laughed while Sweet smiled at him.

"Brace yourselves!" Amelia cheered as the thrum of the ship reached a crescendo.

"In 3...2...1." Eric counted down, then punched the last button with him thumb. He grinned as he heard the ship's thrusters whine to life. "Lift-off."

The ship suddenly shot forward at an unimaginable speed, making the crew lurch a little. The force of the jump pushed them all toward the back of the ship while space rushed by all around them, a blur of blinding white stars. Amelia cackled happily as they flew further and further into the void.

All at once, the ship stopped, hovering in the empty space. The crew cheered victoriously and stared around in amazement.

Amelia turned proudly to Eric and said, "One of your best take-offs yet, I think."

Eric nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

Wendy giggled. "I completely forgot about our little oxygen bubble. I was holding my breath that whole time!"

Belle laughed giddily with her. "Me, too!"

"I say, that was quite a rush, wasn't it?" Mr. Porter's eyes were lit up with excitement. He jokingly called toward where the Captain stood, "Can we do it again?"

"No, please, no..." Milo begged quietly as he leaned over the side of the ship and retched.

"I agree with the nerd." Meg grumbled from nearby while Sinbad laughed at the state of her hair.

"Please don't vomit on my submarine, Mr. Thatch!" Captain Amelia called to the sick Milo.

After all the excitement, everyone went below deck to search for their assigned rooms. Jim and his brothers had to separate from Doppler, who was rooming Merlin, Mr. Porter and, of course, Archimedes the owl. As the three brothers headed toward their cabin, they had to pass by the Engineering corridor, which Audrey was coming out of with another young woman. The two girls were chattering and didn't notice the three guys approaching. While Tarzan and Jim made sure not to bump into the girls as they passed, Adam didn't even bother. After Audrey jumped out of his way, Adam practically mowed over the other girl.

A young, outraged voice with a wily Scottish accent hollered after him, "Would ya' look where yer goin', you blunderin' idiot?!"

Adam slowly turned to look down at a girl with wild curls of red hair, big blue eyes, pale skin, and freckles dotted over her nose and cheeks. She wore a flannel shirt, baggy jeans, and a large pair of work boots. And her pale hands were clenched into fists, resting on her hips as she glared up at him without fear.

Adam frowned and growled down at her, "What did you just say to me?"

"I said..." She slowly repeated herself, as if she were speaking to a struggling child, dragging her vowels out comically, "Watch... Where yer... Going."

Audrey and Adam's two brothers all watched uneasily as the situation blew up.

"You don't tell me what to do." Adam scoffed. "You should have gotten out of my way."

"Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't _leap _out of yer path, _yer highness._" She mock-curtsied as she taunted him. Then, she reared back up to her full height and said more angrily, "But really, _princess, _with spatial awareness skills that poor, ya' probably shouldn't be on this ship!" She poked him in his chest.

"How dare you!" Adam yelled. "I can promise you I've been at this gig longer than you have, _little girl! _"

She squinted up at him. "Did you just call me..." She took a step closer and he leaned down so that their faces were inches apart."...'little girl'?"

"Okay, enough of that!" Audrey cried nervously, gripping the girl's arm and leading her away. "Come on, Merida, let's go find our room."

"You watch yer back ya' beastly knob!" Merida shouted at Adam as Audrey dragged her away.

"Stay away from me, you little psycho!" Adam bellowed in return. Then he turned on his heel and shoved past his brothers to go find their room. Tarzan and Jim shared a look before following their fuming brother at a distance.

Merida scoffed in disbelief and ranted at Audrey, "Can ya' believe the nerve of that dumb brute?! I mean, does he think he owns the place?! Well, he's wrong! Who actually runs this ship? We do! He oughtta show us some respect!" She seethed and turned to see Audrey smirking at her. She gave Audrey a weird look. "What?"

Audrey shrugged and looked away. "Oh. Nothing..."

Merida stared at her for a moment, then sighed in irritation and shook her head. "Whatever. Now where the hell is our room?"

Meanwhile, Meg was searching aimlessly for her own cabin. She paused in front of the directory on the second floor and examined the ship's map to no avail. This vessel was unlike any other she'd ever been on, so the layout made absolutely no sense to her.

"Can I help you with something?" A friendly- but slightly smug- voice asked from behind her. Meg turned to see Officer Phoebus standing there in his gleaming gold armor, smirking at her.

She cocked a hip and crossed her arms, making her indifference obvious in her expression and her naturally sarcastic tone. "Not with whatever it is you're thinking of. Hit the road, Officer." She turned away to face the directory again, thoroughly annoyed.

Phoebus feigned offense and came to stand beside her. "I can't say anyone has ever treated me so disrespectfully."

"I don't hold any special affinity to cops." Meg droned, not taking her eyes off the lighted map in front of her.

"Because you're a pirate?" He asked in a remarkably casual tone.

She shot him a look with her intense purple eyes. "Ex-pirate." She looked back at the map and drawled, "My brother and our crew gave up that life. But we can't live without being on a ship, so... Here we are." She gave Phoebus another pointed look. "You won't be needing to keep a special eye on us, _Officer. _This is our clean slate."

"I wasn't planning to keep an eye on you." Phoebus shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah... Well, not for _that _reason..." He smirked at her.

Meg scoffed and turned away, ignoring the feeling of intrigue this man ignited in her. "Forget it, Officer. I don't date." She rolled her eyes at him. "And I definitely don't date cops."

"Ah. Seems like I'm really missing out." Phoebus replied flatly.

Meg continued to scan the map and hummed in agreement. Phoebus couldn't help smiling as he watched her focus on searching the picture in front of her.

"You looking for your room?" He asked.

Meg sighed. She'd expected him to walk away by now. Why was he still bugging her? Although, she did need help, and he knew the ship...

"Yes." She deadpanned.

Phoebus chuckled and stepped closer her, pretending to be focusing on the map as an excuse. "Which room are you in?"

Meg was startled momentarily by his closeness, and couldn't help catching a whiff of his tantalizing cologne. She collected herself and took a step away from him, closing herself off as she muttered, "22A."

"Ah, right. That's the next floor up... Right..." He pointed at a colorful block on the directory. "There. You got it?" He turned to her after a moment of not hearing a reply. She was watching him, and smirking slightly in spite of herself.

Finally she nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Phoebus smiled. "It's my job."

Meg suspected that there was more implied by that sentence than he was letting on.

"Want me to carry your bag?" He asked politely, pointing at the trunk that sat on the floor by her her boot.

Meg chuckled dryly. "Nah, I'm a big girl. Tie my own boots and everything." She smirked as she lifted the heavy trunk with one hand and held it by her side. With her free hand, she waved over her shoulder as she strolled away, purposefully swaying her leather-clad hips to tease him. "See ya' around, Officer..."

Phoebus watched her go, and for the first time in his life, he was stunned. He found himself mesmerized by how her long, curly brown ponytail swayed as she walked away from him. The image of her purple eyes gleaming in amusement was branded into his brain.

Phoebus sighed and smiled to himself. "What a woman..."

Phoebus forced himself back to reality, and started heading up to the Captain's quarters. He had a meeting to get to.

He slipped into Amelia's office and shut the door, nodding at the others in the room before coming to stand beside Amelia, who was looking over her intergalactic map.

"What's our first stop, Captain?" Mr. Arrow asked.

Amelia pointed at a planet with many rings spinning around it. "Grannus."

Phoebus popped up an eyebrow. "The Grecian planet?"

"Do you have a problem with Greeks, Phoebus?" John smirked.

Phoebus thought about the encounter he'd just had with the infamous Greek pirate's little sister and smirked. "No, quite the opposite, actually."

"We have some supplies to pick up there. Tiana's requested some special cooking oils and whatnot, and I quite enjoy their pottery." Amelia explained light-heartedly. "But, aside from that, we have a potential crew member to pick up."

"Really? Who?" John asked with a slight frown.

"A very important asset indeed, Mr. Smith. One of the strongest men in the galaxy... A descendant of the Titans."

"Whoa." Phoebus's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes. Quite. His abilities, if in the wrong hands, could be quite catastrophic. We could use an ally like him." Amelia replied.

Mr. Arrow chuckled. "So you want to swoop in and take him away before the _Jolly Roger _has a chance to?"

Captain Amelia shook her head. "Not necessarily. Hook won't be wanting to take this man on as a crewmember. He's had too many nasty run-ins with them, and done significant damage to both ship and crew."

"Ooh. I like him already." Phoebus commented.

"If anything, the _Jolly Roger _will be coming to try to kill him. And we can't have that. It'd be such a waste." Amelia said.

"Right. What's his name, then?" John asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Amelia smirked at him. "Hercules."

**:::A/N:::**

**As you can tell, this story's a decent mix of a lot of elements. It's kind of **_**Treasure Planet, **_**kind of **_**Peter Pan, **_**a little bit of **_**Atlantis, **_**kinda **_**Star Trek, **_**a whole lot of futuristic-steampunk-space-pirate-action. I'm really looking forward to how this turns out. Writing this is gonna be so fun!**

**Also, you should keep in mind that some pairings, (in fact, a lot of pretty major ones), will not be cannon. Sorry if this bothers you. But hey, if you don't like it, don't read it. And please don't leave scathing reviews because of this, or send me PMs trying to get me to change something or put together two people that you want put together. I appreciate your guys's opinions, but I think I have as much of a right to experimenting with my stories and the characters as any other author does. Thank you. :)**

**I hope someone's into this and liking it, and willing to go on a little adventure with me! Wheeeeeeeeee!**


	3. A Dual in Drink

There was a ship-wide announcement that night calling the crew to their first dinner in the galley, on the second floor. Tiana and Cookie got everything served up just in time, because the whole crew was getting pretty hungry. The entire galley was filled with starving sailors within minutes, and both cooks bustled to serve everyone. Jim and his brothers helped out too, because they were used to serving in their aunt's inn back home. Jim tried to get Peter to help, but Tiana made him sit back down pretty quick because Tink was stuck to Peter like glue, and Tiana didn't want Tink's alien pixie dust getting in her food.

Tiana assured everyone that there was enough for them all to have another serving if they wanted, and she and Cookie served themselves and sat with their group. As the crew scarfed down their meal, Jim took a look around to size up the people he hadn't met today. There were surprisingly few aliens aboard, and all the ones that Jim could see were animal-based. Except for Tink; Jim still didn't know exactly what the hell Tink was. And, unlike the other aliens, Merlin's owl wasn't a humanoid hybrid. He was basically just a talking owl. An abnormally large one, but nonetheless...

About an hour later, the galley was still filled with people, relaxing as they ate and drank and chattered and joked around. It was a pretty relaxed first night. Jim figured it was because the successful launch put everyone in a good mood. It was a step in the right direction to a victorious voyage.

"I'm gonna get another glass." Adam said kind of loudly, gesturing to his emptied mug. "You guys want anything?"

Tarzan shook his head. "Nah, I've had enough. I think I'll just go get a water." He hadn't even finished his second mug yet.

Adam scoffed. "Right. Be right back." He started to stand up and pick up his mug.

"You should take it easy, Adam." Tarzan warned him. "You don't want a hangover tomorrow."

Adam rolled his eyes and walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Peter began to laugh. Tink made her usual tinkling noise as she sat on his shoulder. Jim smirked and shook his head, then rested his eyes on Tarzan's mug, which was still 2/3 of the way full.

"Hey, Tarzan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can, I, uh..." He gestured vaguely to the mug. "You know..."

Tarzan chuckled. "Yeah, I don't see why not. Don't ever tell Aunt Sarah though. And take it slow... In fact, split it with Peter, and _both _of you take it slow." He gave each teenager a pointed look.

Peter's face lit up while Jim grinned and nodded, taking the mug.

"Thanks, bro." Jim said.

Tarzan playfully rolled his eyes and stood up to leave. "I'm gonna go get some water. Be right back. And, Jim, that cute girl from engineering is smiling at you. Don't make an ass of yourself."

As Tarzan walked away and Peter and Tink began to laugh at him, Jim blushed and looked over to see Audrey smiling and sending him a small wave from where she was piling more food onto her plate. He grinned like an idiot and waved back, making her laugh and bite her lip. Now both of them were blushing.

Adam had refilled his cup, but didn't want to go sit down just yet. He leaned against the wall by the drink table and slurped from his mug, looking over the crew in a haze. Then, he saw a strikingly familiar head of red hair coming toward the drinks and grinned evilly to himself.

Of course, Merida had seen Adam standing there- the guy was so damn tall, she'd have to be blind not to notice him- but she wasn't going to let his presence keep her from the ale. She ignored his stormy eyes resting on her as she poured herself a stout, and started to walk away, as if she had no idea he was there. At first, it seemed like he was going to let her go unscathed. But then, of course, he began to follow her to her table.

"Well, if it isn't the little psycho!" Adam laughed from behind her.

Merida rolled her eyes, supressing a groan. She turned to smile at him defiantly, but didn't stop walking ahead of him. "Funny. Ya' tell me to stay away from ya', and then ya' come looking for a fight. Not really that smart, are ya'?" She turned smugly away while he rolled his eyes.

"Well I'm definitely not as stupid as you are crazy." He retorted sloppily.

Merida almost laughed aloud as she realized how drunk he was. "That's probably true. But how d'ya' figure?" She looked at him with feigned curiosity as she sat back in her seat and took a nonchalant sip of her ale.

Adam leaned heavily on her table. "At least I know how to pick my battles. You're lucky I'm such a nice guy, 'cause any other opponent my size would probably whup you for your attitude." He took another slurp of his drink.

She scoffed. "Right, you're _such _a gentleman. I suppose I should be glad I ran into ya' today!"

He shrugged. "I suppose."

She snorted, sipping from her ale again. Then she remembered something and clapped her mug down on the table, glaring up at him. "By the way: I am _not _little!"

Adam's eyebrows popped up and he sarcastically drawled, "Right..."

"I'm not! I am average sized for my age!" She insisted.

He suspiciously eyed her already half-emptied mug. "Speaking of which... Are you allowed to be drinking that?"

She seethed. "I'm 22, you buffoon!"

Adam scoffed. "Right. Why hang around Audrey, then?"

"She might be the youngest member of this crew, but she's also one of the smartest." Merida answered honestly. Then she looked Adam up and down in disgust. "A helluva lot smarter than _you. _And by the way, she's coming back here right now, so you should probably scram, ya' dumb brute." She drank from her mug again.

Adam rolled his eyes and turned to walk away. "Yeah, right, I'm going... Don't let the drinks go to your head, twerp."

Merida scoffed and set her mug down loudly. "I can assure you that I can hold my liquor _way _better than you can!" She pointed at him with a challenging expression on her face.

"Oh, yeah?" Adam demanded belligerently, setting his own glass on the table. "Let's see, then!"

Merida cackled ruefully. "Ya' really think ya' stand a chance, boy?"

Adam fell into the chair opposite her, just as Audrey was about to take a seat. Audrey rolled her eyes and took off to find another seat while Merida called to Tiana, "Get me a jug! We've got a drinking contest over here!"

While most of the crew crowded around Merida's table to watch, Audrey came along and stole Adam's seat so that she sat across from Jim and Peter.

"Hey, guys." She greeted with a friendly smile.

"Hey." Peter replied carelessly before running off to watch the contest. Tink quickly zipped after him.

Left alone with Audrey, Jim stared dumbly at her and stuttered, "H-hey, Audrey..."

Seeing Jim and Audrey together, Tarzan smirked and walked away to watch his other brother make a fool of himself. He stood behind Belle and Jane, who didn't seem to notice his arrival.

Jane shook her head. "Oh, this is just sad."

"I know." Belle agreed. "Don't they have any dignity?"

"Come on, let's get out of here." Jane said, leading Belle away.

Tarzan looked at Belle's retreating form, then at his drunken brother, and thought to himself, _'Oh, boy...'_

Phoebus, meanwhile, wasn't really in the mood to watch two dumb kids get wasted. Captain Amelia, surprisingly, seemed to be finding the little dual extremely hilarious. Though, she was pretty tipsy herself. Phoebus smirked and shook his head as he navigated his way out of the jumble of sailors, intending to head up to his quarters.

But then he spotted a certain Greek girl sitting by herself in the corner, and he just couldn't help himself.

Meg raised an eyebrow as he approached her booth. "You again?"

Phoebus chuckled as he sat across from her. "Oh, ya' know. I always pop up when you least expect me."

Meg smirked and took a swig of her drink. "You are a cop, after all."

"Well, I'm not really a _cop. _I'm an army officer."

"You trying to get on my good side?" She drawled, her gaze flickering over him.

"Do you have a good side?" Phoebus grinned.

Meg chuckled. "Oh, the stiff makes jokes. I'm impressed."

"Stiff? Ouch." He smirked. "I'm glad I impress you, though."

"Oh, yeah?"

He nodded with a sincere expression. "Yeah."

"I mean, you try pretty hard."

Phoebus pulled a face. "Is it that obvious?"

She chuckled lowly and slightly nodded her head. "Yeah."

He looked at her for a moment with an amused glimmer in his brown eyes."Can I get you another drink?"

Meg squinted suspiciously at him. "I dunno..."

"Come on. Just one drink."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's never just one drink, is it?"

"You don't trust me?"

"Not at all." She smirked. "But that's not really the problem."

"Then what is?"

"It don't really trust myself."

Phoebus nodded, and they just stared evenly at each other for a few moments, the mutual attraction lingering in the air between them, but slowly being snuffed by Meg's self-inflicted solitude and mistrust.

They were distracted when the crowd roared. They both turned to see that Adam had been overtaken by the ale and slumped over, face-planting into the table- _hard- _and knocking over his mug. A few people gave Merida congratulatory pats on the back while she cackled and triumphantly pointed at Adam's fallen form. She made a few rude and incredibly loud remarks, despite seeming pretty sober. But pride had overtaken her, and she now relished in her victory over her sizeable rival.

"Wow." Jim commented, his eyebrows raised. "She really can hold her liquor."

"Yeah..." Audrey nodded. Then she gave Jim an apologetic look. "I think this is my cue to leave, though. You know, get Merida out of here before she gets in over her head."

"Yeah, me too..." Jim muttered as he watched Tarzan push through the boisterous crowd to get to Adam.

Both kids stood up from the table and headed toward the mayhem.

"See you tomorrow?" Audrey asked with a hopeful smile.

Jim smirked and nodded. "Yeah. Definitely."

"Good..." She giggled and gave him an adorable little salute. "Night, Jim."

"Good night, Audrey." Jim watched her pull Merida away before going in to assist Tarzan. Merida couldn't help snorting in her laughter as she watched the unconscious Adam get dragged out by his brothers.

Captain Amelia chuckled and addressed the crowd. "I suggest we all get some rest now. Eric's got the ship coasting toward Grannus, and we should be reaching it by morning. We've got a big first day ahead of us!"

As people slowly began to filter out, Meg looked across her secluded booth at the distracted Phoebus, deciding something. Finally, she sighed and said, "You know what?"

He looked at her curiously. "What?"

"I'm not ready to sleep yet. If you're willing to stay up..." She smirked, and her purple eyes gleamed. "I think I'd like to have that drink after all."


	4. The Next Day

It took Phoebus just one second after waking up to remember the events of the night before. He'd only had two beers last night, and had taken them down without haste and chased the drinks with glasses of water. He hadn't gotten drunk. Everything had been crystal-clear.

He sighed quietly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before turning over to see Meg sitting up in the space next to him, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, the linens draped langorously over her nude form. She turned absent-mindedly to look down at him after he'd moved, and her eyes quickly lit up with some mysterious, unrecognizable- but vaguely positive- emotion as she saw him looking up at her.

She smirked and said lowly, "I told you. It's never just one drink."

Meanwhile, Adam was experiencing a much ruder awakening after a night he hardly remembered. When had he even fallen asleep? And how long had he been out? He felt exhausted...and his face hurt. His head felt like it was being repeatedly stuck with a hammer, and the light that had been left on in his empty room suddenly seemed way too bright. Adam groaned as he slowly sat up and immediately regretted moving when he felt his stomach lurch. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. He hadn't been this hungover in awhile... What _happened _last night? He shook his head a little and began the painful process of getting dressed and cleaned up for the day's work. Then, he took his sweet time getting to the galley to have some breakfast.

When he finally got there, his two brothers were waiting for him with knowing smirks on their faces. He glared shortly at them before sitting in a seat opposite them at their table. Almost immediately, Tiana arrived to place a big plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit in front of him. Then, without skipping a beat, she poured him a fresh cup of coffee and placed it- alongside a glass of water- next to his plate. She gave him a quick wink and a smile before leaving without saying a word. Adam stared down at the hefty breakfast in front of him, then up at his grinning brothers. He turned to look around the near-empty galley and sighed.

"I guess you guys have been expecting me..." He mumbled as he began to dig into his breakfast.

Tarzan nodded. "Yup."

Jim chuckled. "Oh, yeah..."

"Was last night pretty bad?" Adam grumbled.

"Not one of your worst... But yeah, still bad." Tarzan smirked and sipped at his own coffee.

"Mostly just kinda embarrassing..." Jim added smugly.

Adam rolled his eyes and groaned as he scarfed down his breakfast. "Ugh. What happened?"

"You got into a drinking contest with that crazy Scottish girl from engineering...and she beat you." Tarzan explained.

Adam's mouth hung open, giving them both a plain view of his half-chewed eggs. "She did?"

Jim made a face of disgust and looked away as he answered, "Uh-huh." Tarzan looked mildly grossed out as well, but didn't react to the extent that Jim did.

"Ugh!" Adam slammed a fist on the table after carelessly dropping his fork on his plate. "That kid out-drank me?!"

"She's 22." Jim and Tarzan said in unison.

"Whatever! God, I'm gonna be the laughingstock of the whole ship now! How could she have beaten me?!" Adam cried belligerently.

"Adam, you were drunk before you even started goading Merida into that contest. You weren't gonna win any way." Tarzan said reasonably.

"Yeah, you were a real mess last night, man... And, any way, she did warn you that she could really hold her liquor." Jim said.

Adam groaned and miserably hung his head as he finished eating, focusing only on the food in front of him until there was nothing left. Then, he gulped down his glass of water. Feeling a bit more human now, he took a swig of his coffee and sighed.

"Did... Did Belle see what happened last night?" Adam asked without looking up at his brothers, his cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

Tarzan and Jim were both caught off-guard by this, because Adam rarely got embarrassed. And when he did, it was typically not about what other people thought of him. Adam was too self-involved to think of other people's opinions.

"Well... Yeah, I mean... Everyone saw, Adam." Tarzan replied quietly, suddenly feeling bad for Adam as he remembered how Belle and Jane had talked about the contest last night and then left before it was even halfway through.

Adam scoffed and shook his head. "She must think I'm such an idiot..."

"Wait... Adam. Do you actually _like _Belle? I mean, pardon my disbelief, but you've never really liked _anyone._" Jim joked half-heartedly.

"Well, she's not just '_anyone_', okay?" Adam snapped quietly, mocking Jim on the quoted word. He sighed. "She's smart. She's beautiful. She's genuine... She's too good for me, and I probably never had a chance with her any way, but... Well, I guess now that I've made an ass of myself, there's no hope."

Adam would never admit this, but he had met Belle- kind of- before joining this crew. He had taken notice of Belle back on Montressor. They'd gone to school together, and he'd always admired her from afar. But she never noticed him. After graduating, Adam began following Tarzan's lead and traveling on trade ships and exploration vessels, at once trying to distance himself from Belle and forget about her, but also obsessively trying to become the man she would love; someone adventurous and exciting. It drove him nearly crazy and attributed heavily to his moodiness. And then, he would come home and see her shopping in the market or working in the local bookstore, and it just made him feel right at home knowing she was around. But he never gathered the courage to talk to her until the day before on this ship, when he realized instantaneously that he could be a new man here with this group of strangers.

Apparently he'd already botched that plan.

Adam abruptly stood up from the table and stormed out of the galley, leaving his brothers alone with his dishes. Tarzan and Jim shared a concerned look as he left.

Adam stalked up to the deck to take a look around and clear his head, but the idea was quickly swept aside when a group of three giggling girls were headed his way. Belle was deep in conversation with Jane and Wendy, her wide hazel eyes alight with interest, before she almost walked right into Adam as he rushed up to the deck. Adam and the three girls all abruptly halted just before colliding, and there was an awkward pause as the girls' conversation was interrupted and Adam just stood there stupidly and blocked their path.

"Uh... Hey, Belle." He greeted her, trying to force a smile. He reached up to nervously scratch at the back of his neck.

She nodded and politely smiled back. "Hello, Adam."

He was temporarily calmed and stunned by the sight of her smile, but the feeling melted away when she looked past him and asked, "Could we get by, please?"

"Oh... Oh! Yeah, sure, of course..." He ducked his head and stepped to the side, giving them a clear path to the stairs.

Belle smiled at him as she lead Jane and Wendy below deck. "Thank you."

"Nice seeing you..." Adam called meekly after her retreating form. When there was no reply, (Belle hadn't heard him and was now getting back to her talk with the two hybrid sisters), he groaned and stomped over to the side of the ship to stare out into the void in search for answers that wouldn't come. He slumped onto the railing in defeat, squeezing his eyes shut to assuage his headache.

"Well...that was sad." A sickeningly familiar voice chimed from beside him.

Adam's eyes shot open and he suddenly reared up to his full height and turned to glare down at the prideful Merida.

"You..." He narrowed his stormy eyes at her. "_You. _You! This is all your fault!"

"I'll take the undue blame for yer headache, lad, but I'm not accepting any credit for those damn terrible people skills of yours." She quipped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't you joke around with me right now. It's your fault that I embarrassed myself in front of Belle last night, and now she thinks I'm some dumb brute that she shouldn't waste he time with!"

"It's _my _fault that the lass is an incredibly good judge of character? It's _my fault _that you decided to get tipsy last night and harass me?! It's my fault that you just had to feel like a big man and have yer little drinking contest?" Merida snickered. "Give me a damn break, boy-o! All this unnecessary anger and embarrassment is on _your _head, and yours alone. I won't take credit where credit isn't due."

Adam shook his head and turned to glower out at the stars. "Whatever. I know I messed up, but... Ugh, nevermind! Just leave me alone!"

Merida rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, but paused as she felt a wave of sympathy roll over her unexpectedly. She turned back slowly to stare at the back of Adam's head. While he couldn't see her, she allowed a bit of sadness- and slight guilt- to show in her expression. Then, she groaned quietly and walked up next to him again, looking up at him with an irritated expression.

"Look. Ya' really like this girl?" She asked him.

Adam refused to look at her as he grunted and said, "You don't care."

"Actually, I do. Because I've got a brilliant idea that can help us both out." She said smugly.

He gave her a doubtful side-long glance. "Really?"

"Yeah. Now, even though I think she's way to good for ya', I'm gonna help you impress that girl. And I'm gonna help ya' get her."

Adam looked surprised in spite of himself, but he quickly adjusted his expression so that he looked mockingly down at her. "_Really? _"

She nodded confidently, then looked serious and raised a finger. "But only on one condition. After we get Belle to fall for ya', I never wanna hear another word from ya', and I never wanna see yer ugly mug again. We just ignore each other from then on, ya' got it?"

Adam smirked. "I get the girl of my dreams, and I also get you out of my life forever? Sounds too good to be true." He sneered. "Why do you even wanna help me?"

"Because- even though I didn't do anythin' wrong- I still feel slightly responsible for yer very public shaming last night, and I wanna help ya' gain a bit of respect from the rest of the crew. You get a smart girl like that, you'll make a good impression for sure. And, again, I do this favor for ya', and you leave me alone forever. It's really more a matter of self-preservation than altruism."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Look, do ya' want help or not?" She demanded.

He stared at her for a moment, every fiber in his being screaming at him not to trust her. What was keeping this girl from sabotaging him at every turn? But, looking into her eyes, he couldn't find any trace of dishonesty or insincerity. Despite his initial hatred of her, he could tell that Merida was as trustworthy a person as he might ever find.

"Yeah, I guess..." He muttered reluctantly.

"So do we have a deal?" She pushed.

He sighed and pretended to take a moment to think about it. "Yeah. Sure."

She nodded. "Great. We start tomorrow." She turned briskly on her heel and marched away. Adam stared after her in mild disbelief as she left, shaking his head slightly.

At this moment, Meg and Phoebus were parting ways below deck because Meg had to go check in with her family and Phoebus had another meeting with Amelia and the other officers.

"Hey, uh...let's try to keep this just between us, huh? At least for now." Phoebus was whispering.

Meg smirked ruefully at him. "Do I embarrass you, sir?"

"No! No, no, no. Not at all. It's just... Well, it wouldn't seem very professional, you know? The last thing either of us need is for the rest of the crew to be gossiping..."

Meg shrugged. "I've never really cared what people think. But if it's so important to you, I'll keep my mouth shut."

Phoebus wanted to tell her that other people's opinions weren't all that mattered to him, that all he really wanted to do was protect her, and make this voyage easy for the both of them. This relationship might actually thrive with no outside intervention. But, instead of finishing on a serious note, Phoebus decided to try to lighten the mood with a joke before Meg walked away from him.

"Aside from that, your brother might kill me if he were to find out..." Phoebus chuckled lightly. But, seeing the way Meg's face changed made him abruptly stop laughing and his face fell.

She turned to him with a thoroughly unamused expression, her eyes burning him with anger, one elegant eyebrow raised.

"So... You think my brother would murder- or even just harm- his superior because he's some kind of criminal?" She deadpanned.

"What? No! Meg, I wasn't implying anything like that. I was just trying to be funny. I mean...isn't your brother a little protective?"

"No. My brother trusts me to be able to take care of myself and handle my own problems. Maybe I should learn a thing or two from him." Meg rolled her eyes and started to walk away.

"Meg, wait..." Phoebus hissed, looking around to make sure no one was watching them.

Meg turned back to him and crossed her arms in annoyance.

Phoebus sighed and took a step toward her. Obviously joking around had been the wrong move; time for honesty.

"I really do want to see you again." He said so quietly that only she could hear. "I'm not just using you, okay? I really want this to work. We just can't let this relationship be common knowledge just yet. Alright?"

Meg narrowed her eyes at him for a long moment, not replying.

Phoebus sighed. "So? Will you ignore the giant foot I just put in my mouth and give this a chance- in secret- for just a little while?"

Meg's hardened expression eventually melted into a smirk. "Yeah, I guess a secret relationship could be fun..." Her face became more serious as her self-protecting tendencies rushed back. "But, if I ever think for one second that you're lying or using me-"

"It's done." He finished for her with a sincere expression. "But, believe me, Meg, I would never do anything to hurt you."

She gave him a playful eye roll and started to walk away again.

"So I'll see you tonight?" He stage-whispered.

"Maybe!" She called back coyly as she strolled off to find her brother.

Phoebus sighed, then smiled to himself as he walked up to the deck and made his way to Amelia's office. When he walked in, Mr. Arrow, John Smith, Merlin, Dr. Doppler, and Mr. Porter were already gathered around Amelia's desk, where she sat looking over some papers. Everyone looked at Phoebus when he entered.

Amelia's face lit up and she greeted him, "Ah, Phoebus! It's about time you got here! According to Eric, we're getting ready to dock! Grannus isn't much further off..."


	5. Grannus

Grannus was exactly as any member of the crew might have imagined it; an entire planet modeled in the image of ancient Greece. The clothing, the architecture, the agriculture, the land, the seas, the statues and temples and coliseums were all the perfect picture from an old book of Greek myths. The crew stared around the marketplace where they currently stood in awe, watching all the people bustling around and rambling in both Greek and English. A couple of people- Eric, Mr. Arrow, Cookie, Audrey, and Jim- remained on the ship to watch it and do maintenance while they were in port. Captain Amelia led Phoebus and John to go find Hercules while the rest of the crew excitedly began to explore- some just to see the sights, some to buy supplies.

John left Alice in the care of Jane, Belle and Wendy while he went off to do business. The group of girls explored awhile, Jane scribbling images into her sketchbook, Belle searching around for Grecian tomes and storybooks, Wendy eagerly taking in all the amazing artwork, pottery, and intricate clothing. After a short while, Alice grew bored and looked around for something else to do. She looked over her shoulder and saw another crewmember- the young red-headed boy who was constantly being trailed by the sprite- quickly duck into a small shop to avoid being seen. Alice smirked and quietly snuck away from the other girls.

When the boy re-emerged from the shop, Alice was standing right in front of him. He jumped and his fairy friend squealed, making Alice giggle.

"You know, it's not very polite to follow people around." She playfully chided.

He rolled his eyes. "Please. I wasn't following you."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Who were you following then?"

"What makes you think I was following anybody?" He scoffed.

"Well, you really didn't seem to want me to notice you just now... Do you just like to sneak around like that?"

He grinned mischievously. "Sometimes."

"Only when you have nothing else to do?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What's your name?"

"Alice. Alice Smith."

He nodded in understanding. "John Smith's little sister. I'd heard you were around."

"And who are you?"

"Peter Pan."

"Ah, that explains the sneaking around, then. I've heard you're quite the troublemaker."

He got a proud look on his face. He smugly crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. So I must tell you, whichever one of us you were following..." She leaned in closer and whispered, "...she's not interested." With that, Alice turned on her heel, her glossy blond hair nearly whipping Peter's nose, and walked away.

Peter scoffed as he watched her go, slightly shocked, but mostly irritated. He looked up at his chittering alien companion. "Can you believe that, Tink?"

Tink whined angrily in response.

He shook his head. "The disrespect... Well, don't you worry. We'll show her." He cast one more look toward the group of girls before walking away to torment some vendors.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Jim was unhappily mopping the deck, silently wishing Peter harm for ditching him to do the chores while he got to explore. Jim sighed as he dragged the old mop over the wood, sometimes looking over the side of the ship for a glimpse of the marketplace. Mr. Arrow had given up on supervising him awhile ago, so he took his sweet time cleaning.

"Want some help?" Audrey's voice surprised him.

He turned to see her appearing from downstairs, smiling at him. He immediately blushed, but tried to play it cool. He nodded toward the railing on the side of the ship. "Having someone to talk to would be great."

She grinned and followed his cue, sitting on the railing next to him while he worked.

Back in the village, Merida had dragged Adam away from Tarzan and a few other crew members. He stared down at her suspiciously as she led him through the market, a purpose in her stride.

"What are you doing?" Adam demanded.

Merida scoffed. "I'm taking you to find Belle, genius."

Adam stopped in his tracks, bringing the unsuspecting Merida to a sudden halt. She turned to glare at him and tugged on his arm as forcefully as she could, but he wasn't budging. And, though she'd never admit it aloud, he was much stronger than her.

"I can't just go talk to her!" Adam snapped. "I made too big a fool of myself. It's not the right time."

"Did I say anything about talking to her? Hm?" Merida cut in.

Adam frowned. "Why else would we need to find her?"

"Listen, you might love this girl. But do you actually know anything about her?"

Adam stared begrudgingly down at her, tilting his head slightly.

Merida nodded. "That's what I thought. So, what you need to do is figure out what she likes, what she's interested in. Find something the two of you might have in common."

"So... You're saying we're going to...spy on her?" Adam asked slowly, hoping Merida was joking.

She rolled her eyes. "Not _spy. _Just... Watch and listen to her without her noticing."

"This is a crazy idea. You know that, right?"

"Do you have any other ideas?"

"Well... No..."

"Well, then. I guess we'll just have to go with mine." She said smugly, tugging on his arm again.

He slowly started to follow her, his nervousness plain on his face. "I just don't think-"

Merida groaned as she led him onward. "Do you want this girl or not? Honestly... It's not like you can make a bigger fool of yourself!"

Meanwhile, Amelia and her two helpers were busy looking for Hercules.

"Are you sure this is the right port, Captain?" Phoebus asked.

She nodded as she peered through the crowd. "I'd heard that this is the city where he spends most of his time..."

"But it's also quite possible that he could be anywhere else on this planet?" John asked.

She sighed. "Well, he is kind of like Grannus' Superman... Of sorts..."

Phoebus sighed. "Captain, I'm not sure we have the kind of time to-"

He was interrupted by a loud crash from nearby, immediately followed by a round of screams from the villagers. People began to run wildly around to try to hide or escape as a large creature- half man, half horse, with glowing eyes and a dastardly grin- trampled his way through the market, destroying tents and carts of peoples' livelihoods as he terrorized the village.

"It's Nessus! Hide the women!" A man shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

"Well, I don't like the sound of that." Meg muttered from her brother's side.

"We should listen to them. You and Marina head back to the ship." Sinbad told her.

Marina scoffed and casually leaned on his shoulder. "What, and let you boys have all the fun?"

"Captain, I think it might be in everyone's best interest if we send our female crewmembers out of harm's way..." Phoebus said, sharing Sinbad's cautiousness. Noticing the pointed look Amelia was giving him, he cleared his throat and added, "Except for you, of course, Captain."

Amelia smirked and shook her head, eyeing the beastly Centaur deviously. "No, Phoebus. This crew sticks together, no matter what. It'll take all of us to bring this behemoth down... Now, let's show him what we're made of." She pulled out her dual blaster guns and eagerly cocked them. John and Phoebus each took out their swords and stood at the ready.

Phoebus turned to call to rest of the crew, "Prepare yourselves!" He shared a short look with Meg, who already had a pistol out, before turning back to attention.

John was distractedly looking around for his sister, and had to force himself to focus on the attacker. Amelia hastily instructed Mr. Porter, Dr. Doppler and Merlin to lead those less fit to fight away from here. John noticed Alice scurrying away with that group and was instantly relieved. Unfortunately, Nessus, who had been too busy destroying the marketplace to notice the crew until now, also had his attention caught by a particular individual in the retreating group. He narrowed his eyes on Belle and began to chase her. Amelia and her remaining team were expecting that he was running to attack them, and readied themselves to fight back. They were all a little shocked when he deftly leapt over them. He landed thunderously and galloped after the group being led by Merlin, prompting Amelia and the others to give chase.

Nessus easily caught up to the group and trotted ahead of them to cut them off. They all skidded to a halt, then tried to run around him. He laughed cruelly and jumped in their path, warding them off with his monstrous hooves that shook the earth when he landed.

"Split up!" Doppler cried fearfully.

"No, you idiots! Don't-!" Amelia called as she and her team ran toward their trapped crew mates.

But she was unheard, and the group scrambled and ran in all different directions, now seeming more like the crazed, panicking villagers from before. Belle, who'd been at the back of the group, noticed how Nessus' eyes focused on her and felt her stomach sink as she realized what he was after. She turned and ran straight ahead of him, and he immediately followed. She sprinted onward, slightly hindered by the skirt that swished around her legs. She was running straight toward Amelia and the others, hoping to give them a chance to attack the monster and protect her, while also keeping him from harming any other civilians or destroying more of the village. She heard all the people around shouting and cheering for her to keep running, encouraging her to move faster. For a moment, it seemed that she would actually make it.

But then Nessus picked up speed as well. Belle heard the shouting around her become more frantic as the sound of his heavy hooves came right behind her. A sickening wave of expectation washed over her, but even though she knew what was about to happen, she still cried out when Nessus plucked her up off the ground in one mighty hand. He laughed triumphantly as he held her up in the air like a trophy. All of Belle's crew mates were immediately on the attack.

"Belle!" Adam cried.

"This can be how you win her over!" Merida quickly hissed at Adam.

Adam's eyes went wide. "What?! Me, take _that thing _down? Are you crazy?!"

Merida rolled her eyes and walked ahead of him, facing the creature head-on. "Oi, ya big oaf!" Merida cried, shooting an arrow from her bow. The arrow met its mark, planting itself in one of the Centaur's eyes. While Nessus shrieked unhappily, shaking his head back and forth and howling like a wounded animal, Robin turned to smirk a little at her and said, "Nice shot."

Merida noted the initials carved into his own bow and grinned back at the Fox. "Thanks."

Suddenly, Nessus was charging. Merida and Robin both released a slew of arrows at the creature. The tips dug into his thick skin, but did little damage, for he never stopped moving. He continued to barrel toward them with the shafts sticking out all over his body like quills. Robin realized that Nessus wasn't going to hesitate to trample them and quickly tackled Merida out of the way. Nessus continued to gallop past them, running straight into another onslaught of attacks from the crew's guns, both regular and blaster. The shots rang out in the air, and every once in a while Nessus was hit in a tender spot and stumbled a little or shouted in pain. But, no matter what the crew did, Nessus could not be stopped. He continued to storm toward them. At some point, his apparent infatuation with Belle was forgotten and he started to hold her out in front of him like a tiny shield.

Amelia groaned and lowered her guns. The rest of the crew was hesitantly following suit. The Centaur's imposing approach forced them all to start falling back.

"Captain, we cannot pursue a fight without Belle getting hurt in the process." John said worriedly. "What should we do?"

"Give me a minute to think..." Amelia growled.

"We don't have a minute! He's coming to kill us _now! _" Meg snapped.

"We won't be able to stall for long, Captain." Phoebus said, much more gently but no less urgent.

"Stand down, fiend!" A new voice boomed from the treeline.

Everyone froze and turned to see a remarkably tall and muscular- but unmistakably young- man approaching from the nearby forest, clad in Grecian armor, sandals and short cape. He was tanned, with bright blue eyes and a tidy mop of auburn hair that turned gold when the sunlight hit it. He strolled casually into the market, like he owned the place, and frowned up at the hybrid goliath, as if wondering what kind of nerve this monster had to come here. He didn't seem to feel like he was looking into the face of danger at all.

"What's the deal with Wonder Boy?" Meg asked sarcastically, obviously doubtful of the stranger.

Amelia grinned, turning slightly to look at the proud statue in the center of the village, which bore an impeccable resemblance to the young man. She turned back to watch the action, her eyes gleaming. "It's Hercules."

"How many times have I told you that you aren't welcome here, Nessus?" Hercules scolded the Centaur. The creature huffed and snarled angrily at him. Hercules spotted Belle trapped in Nessus's grip and asked her in a much softer voice, his boyish face giving away his gentleness, "Are you alright, ma'am?"

Belle gaped back at him for a moment, then nodded, dumbfounded by the situation she currently found herself in. She shakily replied, "Yes."

Hercules nodded, then looked sternly up at the growling Centaur. "I think you would find it in your best interest to put the young lady down, Nessus."

Nessus roared in disapproval of the statement, standing threateningly over Hercules.

Hercules sighed. "When has this ever worked out for you, Nessus? Give it up. Put her down."

The Centaur defiantly stomped his front hooves, attempting to trample Hercules, who swiftly jumped backward. Hercules rolled his eyes, reared back a little, and suddenly lunged forward and up a bit, leaping through the air to head-butt Nessus in the gut. Nessus sailed backward, losing his grip on Belle as he flew into a nearby shop and toppled the building. Belle screamed as she started to plummet toward the ground, but her scream was suddenly halted when a pair of strong, warm arms stopped her descent. She peeked down to see the ground a few feet below her and sighed a little in releif, then glanced upward at her savior. Her cheeks immediately turned pink as she looked into the eyes of Hercules.

"You're not hurt, are you?" He asked her soothingly.

She quickly shook her head.

He smiled and carefully put her down, one hand lingering on her waist. "I'll be right back." He turned and jogged off to keep fighting Nessus. Belle watched him go in awe. She was soon surrounded by the rest of the crew, Jane and Wendy and their father wrapping her up in their arms.

"Belle, are you alright?" Amelia asked her. "I should have gotten you out of here sooner. I'm sorry..."

Belle chuckled a little, feeling flustered by all the attention and slightly embarrassed by her need for rescue. "I'm really fine, Amelia. Really."

"Well. He really lives up to the hype." Phoebus said as he watched Hercules continue to pummel Nessus in the distance.

"I'll say." Meg mumbled. Phoebus raised his eyebrows at her and she smirked up at him, offering him a quick wink.

"Yes. Wouldn't he make an excellent addition to our crew?" Amelia asked proudly.

"Well, I hope so, after all the trouble we just went through to find him!" Flynn retorted, earning a sharp elbow in the ribs from Aladdin. "Ow!"

They heard a howl from across the village and looked up to see Nessus' large form sailing across the sky, a dark blot as it passed the sun. With a loud crash through the treetops, he vanished into the forest, supposedly never to be seen again. Phoebus whistled lowly after a moment of silence. As they'd been talking, they hadn't even realized that Hercules had driven Nessus out of the city. Now he was jogging back toward them nonchalantly. As he came to a stop, he wasn't breathing heavily or sweating or anything; there was no sign of fatigue. The man was unshakeable, it seemed.

Hercules grinned around at them all, in a genuinely friendly way. "I go for a quick walk in the woods, and suddenly the city's in peril." He chuckled, then shook his head. "Where are my manners? Welcome to Grannus, folks! I'm Hercules, by the way."

Esmeralda nodded, unashamedly looking over Hercules' muscles. "Yeah, we kinda figured..."

John gestured slightly toward Hercules' statue standing in the square.

Hercules sighed, a little ashamed. "Oh, that thing again... You know, that wasn't my idea. But the citizens, they're, uh... Well, they're a little fanatical."

"I think they have good reason." Amelia told him, holding out one gloved hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Hercules. Captain Amelia of the _RLS Legacy._"

Hercules nodded in understanding as he shook her hand. "You're sailors. So I guess you're not staying long?"

"Unfortunately, we can't possibly remain in port much longer. We'll be leaving at dawn, sad to say."

"Oh..." Hercules looked briefly at Belle, the disappointment obvious in his eyes. He quickly ducked his head. "Well, I hope your visit isn't any more eventful. I'm sure our markets will give you all you need." He nodded briefly at Amelia and turned to leave.

Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but it was Belle who suddenly stepped up and called after him, "Thank you!"

Hercules froze and slowly turned around, looking at her in surprise. And unabashed hope.

She smiled nervously. "I wanted to thank you for... For saving my life just now. That was..." She laughed a little, knowing her face must be bright red. "That was amazing. So... Thank you."

Hercules smiled back at her and nodded, taking a step toward her. "It was my pleasure... Um..." He trailed off.

"Belle." She took a step closer now. "My name is Belle."

He nodded as he gazed down at her. "Belle..."

They stared at each other for a moment while everyone else watched or shifted uncomfortably. It seemed that they would have gone on staring at each other forever if Amelia hadn't cleared her throat and stepped up next to Hercules, making him turn to look at her. Belle bit her lip and walked away to stand with the rest of the Porters and the crew.

"Yes, well, Hercules, I've actually come to Grannus for a reason other than simple trade or exploration. This was kind of an impromptu visit, but still very important." Amelia started to explain to him.

His eyebrows popped up. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Yes. I have come to offer you a job on our ship. A chance to explore the galaxy with us."

He furrowed his brow now. "Oh..."

"You don't seem very excited."

"Well... It's an excellent opportunity, but... I have a responsibility to my people. I couldn't possibly leave. Without me, the whole planet could fall to ruin."

Amelia thought this over, then squinted up at him. "Hercules... Just how often do incidents like this one happen?"

"Well, uh... To be honest with you, not that often. Today was kind of a fluke. I have cleaned things up pretty well over the last few years. Truthfully, most of the other Centaurs are pretty well-behaved. They know their place, stay in the woods. Nessus is just a bit more stubborn, but... I think I finally got through to him just now." Hercules shrugged.

"So... Sounds like this planet would be left off a lot better than before you came along, correct? That's all these people can really ask for. And besides, just think of how much you can help other people, in places that you didn't even know existed before, which could possibly be doing a lot worse than here."

"Really?"

"Really! All across this universe, there are innocent people waiting for a hero like you to come along! And so much more! Think of all the culture you'll experience, the people you'll meet, the sights, the wildlife, the adventure!"

"Adventure?" Hercules brightened now. He loved his home planet, but things were a little dull now that all the crime was pretty much wiped out. And even when he did get to fight, it was hardly exciting because he knew he'd win. Maybe now he could come across some worthy apponents... His face fell. "I couldn't leave. As soon as I'm gone, all the evil will come seeping out of this city like a disease. The monsters and criminals will take advantage of my absence for sure."

Amelia sighed. "Hercules, is there not a form of government here? Authorities, maybe?"

He smirked. "Yes, but do you think that if they were competent at all, I would be doing what I do? I mean, they tried their best, but-"

"And now they've probably just let themselves fall flat because you've been doing all the work! I say you leave them to their own devices, encourage them to get back on top of things. It's time to let the people take care of themselves, Hercules."

"I don't know, Captain..."

"Look, it's not like I'm offering you a lifetime contract. Come with us on this voyage, and then decide where you'd like to go from there. You can always come back here if you want to... And- there is a holophone somewhere here, yes?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well, if they really need you, they can contact us. But, Hercules, if that call never comes... How disappointed will you be? Hm?"

He stared down at her for a moment. "I... I really need to think about it." He knew he was fooling himself. With the money from this job, he could buy his aging parents the home they deserved. Traveling as far as he could to help as many people as he could was enticing, as well. But what really made him sure that he would leave was the sight of the blushing Belle. He knew that wherever she went, he would follow. He was powerless to the connection that he felt bound them together. It was so sudden, but he'd never felt anything like this before, and he felt it deserved his attention.

Amelia seemed to pick up on this and smirked knowingly. "That's fine. Take all the time you need. You've got until sunrise." She patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away with her crew. Belle's hazel eyes lingered on Hercules for a moment before she turned to follow the captain.

"I'll meet you on the dock at dawn!" Hercules called after them.

Amelia waved her hand without turning to face him, but her pride and elation were obvious in her tone. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint! See you then!"

Hercules grinned and turned to help the villagers fix the marketplace, already excited to run home and tell his parents the good news and pack for his journey.

As they were walking back to the ship, Merida and the obviously jealous Adam drifted behind the rest of the group. She rolled her eyes and quietly mocked him.

"_Me? Fight that thing? Are you crazy?_ " She mimicked him in a soft, whiny tome. When he glared at her, she sighed. "See, that's how you _lose _a girl."

"Shut up." Adam growled.

_**The Next Day...**_

The _Legacy _enjoyed a successful departure from Grannus, leaving the crew cheerful and boisterous as they welcomed their new crew mate. But another ship, which came into port at Grannus not long after they left, was not sharing their luck.

The dark, gloomy galley of the _Jolly Roger _was momentarily disturbed when a large, foreboding figure slammed through the doors, his dark robes billowing around him as he stormed into the room, his heavy footsteps echoing through the air. Running a deathly-pale hand through the blue flames that served as his hair, Hades growled and dropped himself into a seat at the head table, his yellow eyes glowing as he seethed. Despite his diminished power, the silent room seemed to quiver under duress of his anger.

"It seems my dear nephew has already departed... And what's worse, he's taken off on the _'RLS Goody-Two-Shoes'._" He slammed a white-knuckled fist on the table, his flames and eyes momentarily burning red. Then he sighed and ran a hand over his tired face.

He felt a lean, cool body lounge against him and turned to see Eris smirking at him.

"Come on, Hot-head. It's not so bad. We'll find him." She drawled, running one lithe hand up and down his back, then draping her arms around his shoulders.

"We better. I want my revenge on the sunspot before it's too late." Hades shook his head, then snarled, "If Pain and Panic had just killed that brat in the first place, this wouldn't even be an issue!"

Hades, Eris and Hercules all originally belonged to a planet of super-powered (some might say "godly") beings called Olympus. Hades was one of three powerful brothers- direct descendents of the Titans- who ruled over the planet. And it was always obvious that Hades was not the favorite of the three. He was despised by most, left to rule over the most undesirable region, which mostly consisted of monsters as his subjects, and was constantly rebuked and ridiculed by the rest of his royal family, who were more or less responsible for his predicament. His greed for more power and regular conspirating against his two brothers didn't win him much favor.

Then, Hercules was born. And Zeus (the favorite brother) and Hera (his wife) and the rest of the rotten planet began to fawn over him as if he was the most magical, miraculous being to ever grace them with his presence. And this made Hades worry. No other child of Zeus- and he had many, by many different women- had won so much affection before. No other one of his heirs had ever captured his attention- his _love- _so. Hercules was the favorite of the favorite. This caused Hades to become overwhelmed with jealousy and rage. All his years of work, and now this little brat was going to come along and squash any chance he had of stealing his brothers' power! He had to do something. So, with the help of Eris, his confidante, Hades spiked Hercules' food with a special serum to strip him of his longevity. (Every being on Olympus was practically immortal.) And two of Hades' cretinous followers- Pain and Panic- were meant to kill the boy afterward. But, the baby had retained unnatural strength and fought the creatures off, leaving his parents to discover him nearly dying as his body lost its resilience to their environment.

Realizing that the extreme atmosphere of the planet was making the infant sick, Zeus and Hera had no other choice but to send him away. With his powers so diminished- the boy was practically a _human- _they knew he could not survive on Olympus. So the boy was sent away in a travel pod, and wound up on Grannus a galaxy over, and was taken in by an old farmer and his wife. And Hades thought that would be the end of it.

But _no._

Of course, Zeus did eventually find out who was responsible for his son having to leave. As punishment for their treason, Hades and Eris were both forced to take the same serum that they'd given Hercules. Both nearly drained of their power, they were banished from Olympus forever, as penance for cursing Hercules to never know his true home and family.

This was a big mistake. As far as Hades was concerned, they deserved the ultimate punishment for taking all that was rightfully his, driving him away from his home. For their arrogance, he would kill Hercules and send them his head wrapped in a pretty bow.

Eris gripped him by the chin and made him turn his head to look at her. "Hey. You and I were both forced from our home because of that boy. Remember? We're in this together. And if I say we'll find him, then we _will _find him."

Hades stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "I know. I know."

She nodded and let go of his chin, fondly running her fingertips over his cheek.

"Might I remind you that we have more important things to were about than your revenge?" A gruff, British voice demanded from across the table. Hades and Eris glared over at their Captain, James Hook.

Hook was a tall, lean- but also quite muscular- man, his wiry build hidden under a long red coat, layers upon layers of protective armor and weapons, and tall black boots. His long black hair was tamed in a million intricate little braids and decorated with numerous beads and charms and little decorative treasures he'd "picked up" over the years, and hidden under a proud pirate hat with a large feather adorning the brim. He took a long huff off of his cigar, the smoke leaking from his thin lips and weaving through the dark beard that kept the lower half of his face hidden, making it nearly impossible to tell what the man was thinking due to his guarded expression. The only way to judge the pirate's emotions was by his piercing blue eyes, which were rumored to glow red like a demon's right before he gutted his victims.

And his weapon of choice for that, as well as other unspeakable acts, was the gleaming silver hook he wore in place of his right hand, which he'd lost to some unknown assailant years ago.

Hook regarded their scowls with a blank stare while his right-hand man, Smee, poured him another shot of whiskey. He continued gravely, "Like the treasures which the _Legacy _will undoubtedly be hiding from us unless we beat them to their destinations."

"I'll go talk to Helga and Rourke about calculating the _Legacy's _trajectory from here." Eris said, standing up from her seat, but keeping a hand on Hades' shoulder. "There are only so many places they could be going. With our navigation skills, I don't doubt that we'll be able to head them off soon enough." She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, wearing a smug expression.

Hook nodded slightly and replied in a dark tone, "Get to it, then."

Eris shared a look with Hades before leaving the galley. Hades watched her go, then looked over at Hook in irritation. Hook's eyes flashed briefly in amusement.

"You two ought to remember whose command you're under." Hook told him lowly. "I don't give a damn about your little sob story, or your business with Hercules. This is my ship, and you're a part of my crew. Make yourselves useful to me or prepare to be marooned. Understand?" He downed his shot in one greedy gulp.

Hades nodded, glowering at the pirate.

Hook stared him down for a minute, then called across the galley, "Smee! Another round of drinks for the lot, if you please."

The few members of the crew who still lingered (quite a few had cleared out after Hades walked in) mumbled gratefully while Smee eagerly ran around to refill their cups. Hook held up his shot glass in a languid grasp, waiting patiently while Smee replenished his drink. Hades carelessly crossed his arms and watched Smee serve him a stout. After Smee had scurried away, Hades eyed his captain curiously. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself when he heard a pair of heels clicking across the galley and approaching their table. He rolled his eyes as a tall, lithe woman with pale green skin and reptilian eyes took a seat beside Hook. Her black hair was piled elegantly on top of her head, loose bits dangling in the front to frame a delicately angular face. Hades tried to hide his discomfort as he caught a glimpse of her tatto- a spindly black dragon that seemed to be a living, breathing entity- slithering from her bare shoulder to her back. Hades resisted the urge to shudder and tore his gaze away from the dancing shape on her sickly skin, instead looking sharply into the gleaming eyes of this peculiar woman. She looked evenly back at him for a moment, then shrugged carelessly and turned her attention to Hook, draping one slim arm over the captain's shoulders.

"So... Where do we go from here, dear?" She drawled, her tone both sultry and elegant. Hades spotted the living tattoo drift over her arm and turned away.

Hook tilted his head to one side. "Not sure yet. We'll hear from our helmsman soon enough."

"I just can't stand the thought of those glorified sailors slipping away from us again." She pouted slightly.

For a brief instant, Hook smirked. But quickly the slight quirk of his lips was gone, and his face was once more a blank mask. The change was so fast that Hades was sure he'd just imagined the smirk had happened.

"Don't you worry, Maleficent. That ship will be ours in due time. And we'll rid this galaxy of those boy scouts once and for all." Hook promised her.

"What is it on that ship that's so important to you?" Hades suddenly asked. The way that Hook's harsh gaze flickered toward him made him regret asking, but he kept a firm expression and awaited an answer.

Hook slowly leaned forward, fishing a small, metallic device from his coat pocket. With a flick of his thumb, the device popped open, and a quiet hum filled the room while the pale, flickering hologram of a young boy popped up from the device. Hook glared up at the hologram.

"This boy is the one I've been looking for. He stole what's rightfully mine. And he's on that ship. Now that I've found him, I won't let him get away." Hook explained stonily.

Hades frowned. "What did he steal?"

Hook raised the horrific metal appendage that was his namesake, immediately filling everyone's stomachs with dread. He meticulously reached the hook upward and pointed it toward a small bright spot by the boy's head. "You see that? That is a sprite from Neverland."

A few other pirates murmured in awe while Maleficent's yellow eyes gleamed in amazement and Hades looked at Hook doubtfully.

"Neverland? I thought the place was just a myth." Hades said.

Hook shook his head, dropping his hook onto the table, where it planted itself deeply into the wood, making everyone flinch.

"No. Neverland is real. I've been there." Hook snapped the little device shut, making the hologram disappear. As he tucked it back into his pocket, he continued, "It's a small island, residing on the planet Kanaloa."

Hades shook his head in confusion. "I thought that planet consisted completely of deep oceans."

"Neverland is the only bit of land on that horrid dew drop. No one has explored Kanaloa long enough to find it. But I did." There was a slight prideful tone to his deep voice. "I was searching for a great treasure that has eluded many before me, figuring that if there was any place the treasure could be, it was Kanaloa. And I was right. The treasure does reside there. But it is impossible to find. And the only one being on Neverland that knew the exact location was that sprite. So I took her, tried to force her to lead me to the treasure. She refused, and fought and did everything she could to escape. And eventually, she did. Because _someone..._" His eyes rolled toward a very nervous Smee, "...wasn't watching her. She vanished without a trace, and somehow turned up on Montressor, where she found that boy and clung to him for safety. I didn't realize this until many years later..." He looked distractedly down at the metal hook that was fixed to his wrist. "I lost a lot to get that sprite. I won't have my loss be in vain."

"We'll get her back." Maleficent told him soothingly, rubbing his tense shoulders.

"We must. She's the only one who can lead us to the treasure." Hook said.

"What's the treasure?" Hades asked. "What's on Neverland that's so valuable?"

Hook's eyes seemed to glow with an obsessive excitement. "The Fountain of Youth."

The door to the galley was suddenly pushed open and everyone turned toward the newcomer. It was Grimhilde, a strikingly tall and regal-looking woman, whose dark hair was hidden under a black cowl that flowed downward into a swaying, billowing robe that hugged her figure quite flatteringly. Her venomous green eyes scanned boredly around the room until they settled on the captain, flashing briefly with some unrecognizable emotion. Her full red lips curved in a smirk and she said, "Helga has calculated a course that should put us on the right track. On your word, we'll take off."

Hook slowly rose from his seat and walked toward the middle of the room. "Well... I say we get some supplies before we leave port. We can't take off without giving these people something to remember us by, can we?"

A few unsettling chuckles rang out around the room while the crew started to pull out their weapons.


	6. A Crown In Corona

"Where to now, Captain?" Phoebus asked Amelia as they sat in another meeting later that day. This time, Hercules was present as well.

"A smaller planet... Very interesting. A little place called Corona." Amelia replied.

Phoebus frowned. "But...we just made a supply run, Captain." Surely, there was nothing else that tiny planet could hold for them. It was mostly a tourist planet, famous for its sights. But it was already so well-known, thoroughly explored, and constantly milling with people. What business could Amelia have there?

The Feline Captain smirked at his confusion. "Two very peculiar incidents have occurred on that planet, Phoebus. First off- many, many years ago- a meteorite crash-landing. That white-hot chunk of rock threatened to obliterate Corona on impact, but- _miraculously- _" She flashed him a grin, "- it didn't. Instead, a mysterious plant grew in that crater, and a beautiful flower- shining and golden like the sun- bloomed. And this flower harnessed power- some would say magic- that could heal any wound, cure any ailment, even offer eternal life."

Now John looked confused. "But, I thought that flower was eventually dug up and used to heal the planet's dying Queen."

Amelia nodded, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Obviously, she already knew this. "Yes, _but, _not only did the flower save her, its power was also preserved in the new life growing in her belly."

"A baby?" Mr. Porter's eyebrows popped up. "I didn't know the rulers of Corona had a child."

Merlin cleared his throat. "It's not common knowledge to most who live outside their world... They don't talk about their daughter much."

"Because she was kidnapped shortly after she was born. Vanished, without a trace. That was nearly eighteen years ago." Amelia explained. Her smugness was unmistakable as she finished, "And I think it's about time the young princess was brought back out of the shadows."

Phoebus smirked. "So... We're going to Corona to find the Princess and reunite her with her parents?"

"A rescue mission?" Hercules asked excitedly.

"And possibly to bring her kidnapper to justice?" Milo added.

Amelia nodded at all three and answered them in turn, "Yes, yes, and yes."

"When will we get there?" Hercules demanded eagerly.

Amelia chuckled at him. "Early in the morning, Hercules. So I suggest you get plenty of shut-eye. We'll need you in tip-top shape tomorrow."

He grinned boyishly down at her.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Hook stared blankly up at the creaking ceiling of his quarters, trying to ignore the endless thrum of activity created by his crew on the deck. His mind wandered as he absently ran his left hand over the bare back of the woman who laid on top of him, her head resting on his chest so she could listen to his heartbeat. She pushed her long black hair away from her face as she tilted her head to look up at him.

"You know, if Maleficent or Jafar ever found out about us, it wouldn't be good." Grimhilde said lowly.

Hook's eyes flashed with amusement. "I don't think we'll need to worry about it if they haven't already found out." He muttered.

"Still... You know how they are. They both might try to kill us."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, they won't make an attempt on me. They both owe me too much. I'm their only chance at survival. But you..." He peered down at her wickedly. "They would rip you apart."

Grimhilde stared up at him, seemingly unphased. Hook knew by now that Grimhilde didn't care whether she lived or died. She knew what she was getting in to when she took refuge on this ship all those years ago. She realized the danger she might face when she fell into this affair with Hook. And she also knew that, at this point, he was all she had. These curious and inexplicable emotions she felt for him were all that made her life worth living. The idea of dying for him excited her. After all the mistakes she'd made in her life, for it to end over something so beautiful just seemed right.

Hook knew that she felt this way, but never addressed it. He never even gave a clue as to how he felt for her, whether he'd actually care if she died or not. Grimhilde had no idea what she meant to him; what he thought of her was a complete mystery. Awhile ago, Grimhilde had decided that she liked it that way. Knowing how Hook truly felt might just spoil everything. She had nothing else in her life but this aimless secret romance with her captain. She didn't want to lose it.

Hook sighed and started to sit up, prompting her to hop off of him. As they both got dressed, Hook mumbled, "I have a meeting in my office soon... Apparently Helga and Rourke have some other idea on how to catch the _Legacy._"

Grimhilde raised an eyebrow and turned to him while fixing her hair under her cowl. "I thought we were already on course to head them off?"

"Yes, but they say that they have a better way of doing that." Hook pulled on his jacket and armed himself out of habit. Grimhilde watched as he placed his hat back on his head and strolled toward her. He stared down at her for a moment, and she foolishly thought that he would lean down and kiss her. But, after a tense moment, he just whispered, "You go out first."

Grimhilde nodded stonily, reaching down to pull her boots on and lace them, giving him one more good view of her legs. After letting her skirt fall back to the ground, she turned and slipped out of the room, taking care to make sure no one outside saw her. Hook stared at the closed door for awhile after she left, lost in thought. Then he turned toward the old dresser in the corner of the room and smirked slightly, drawing toward the dresser and glowering down into an unlit glass lantern. A vibrant purple speck glared back up at him and he laughed quietly.

"Enjoy the show, sprite?" He asked her in mild amusement.

She was silent, not willing to give him a response as she defiantly stared him in the eye.

In a brief flash, his face broke with a dastardly grin. Then, his face was once again a solemn mask, and he spoke softly to her. "Don't worry, this will all be over soon. You're going to help me convince that little fairy to lead me to the Fountain, and then you can be free."

This sprite, of a nastier variety than Tink, let out a raspy hiss in response. Hook chuckled and turned away, leaving his room and locking the door, leaving Vidia alone again.

Hook stomped into his office to find Hades, Eris, Jafar, Helga and Rourke all waiting for him. Before any of them had a chance to speak, Hook spotted an ancient- but very familiar- little book with a foreign symbol on the cover sitting on his desk. His eyes flashed dangerously around the room to glare at each of them.

"What's that doing here?" He demanded icily.

"It plays a key role in the new plan." Rourke said smugly, crossing his massive arms over his broad chest.

Hook stared at him for a moment, unwavering. Without saying a word, he expressed his displeasure at being kept in the dark.

Eris smirked and stepped forward. "Despite my confidence in our navigational skills, there's no guarantee that we'll successfully head them off. We can try and try and try, but they've evaded us many times. Odds are that they'll get away again."

"So, obviously, we need to make a move we haven't before; something they won't expect." Hades added deviously.

"We're going to make them come to ussss." Jafar hissed, his thin, forked tongue slithering between his pointed teeth as he grinned.

Hook looked thoroughly unimpressed as he turned to the scaly hybrid, then glared back at the others, remaining silent.

"Captain, the crew is getting restless. We need to make a big score, and fast. You know that Atlantis is our best option for that." Rourke said. He pointed at the old journal on the desk. "And with that little book, and a few days' time, we can get there."

"And collect a treassure even more impresssive than your Fountain of Youth." Jafar said in a raspy tone.

"Think of the glory, Captain. No one else has ever managed to find Atlantis. They've always been so careful to stay hidden. But now that will be their downfall, because there will be no one else around to help them." Eris said.

Hook growled, looking at Rourke and Helga. "You two just want that treasure that you've always been obsessed with. I told you I would help you find it, but only on my time! I won't be manipulated into-"

"I'm telling you, it's the best chance you have at getting your sprite back. They'll bring her right to you!" Rourke insisted.

"How can you be so sure?" Hook demanded.

"The _Legacy _won't be able to resist a distress call." Helga said with a smirk. "Especially if it's coming from the King of Atlantis himself."

"They pride themselves on preserving ancient civilizations, and the Atlanteans are basically an endangered species. I would bet my life that Amelia would come running to their aid. And, in the amount of time it'll take them to reach the planet, we can persuade the King to hand over the treasure. It'll be a piece of cake." Rourke said with a grin.

Hook thought this over. He wasn't an idiot; of course he knew this was risky, but also probably their best course of action. If they succeeded, it would strengthen the _Jolly Roger's _reputation, give them the opportunity to destroy the _Legacy_ and even topple Atlantis if they felt like it, award them a very special treasure, _and _Hook would have that sprite to lead him to the Fountain of Youth. But, on the off chance that things went awry... He needed someone to make an example of.

Hook's eyes briefly lit up with malice as he stared Rourke down. "Would you really bet your life on it?"

Rourke frowned. "What?"

"If things don't go as well as you seem to think they will- if the Atlanteans or the crew of the _Legacy _are more prepared than we expect, or traveling that deep space proves too troublesome- someone's going to have to take responsibility for our downfall. And I think that someone should be you." Hook explained. "So... Would you really bet your life on this endeavor?"

There was a long moment of silence while Rourke and Hook stared each other down. The others in the room stood like statues, watching Rourke for his reaction. Finally, Rourke said, "Yes."

Hook watched him for a moment, searching for any sign of doubt or fear. But Rourke was a strong, overconfident man. Even if he did have any doubts, he was adept at hiding them. Hook nodded and replied emotionlessly, "Very well. You plot our course. Take us to Atlantis. And if your plan fails, I will take you up to the deck and have the rest of the crew watch as I gut you and toss you over the side."

_**Meanwhile...**_

Flynn whistled lowly to himself as he strolled along the deck, making his way toward where Eric stood firmly at the helm. Flynn and Aladdin had managed to earn Eric's trust over the last few days. In fact, an observer could easily make the assumption that the three were friends.

Eric was an easy-going guy, like the other two, but also outwardly friendly and a little gullible. He was a genuinely nice guy. And he had no way of knowing that he was just being used. Aladdin felt truly guilty about this, caught up in the idea that he and Eric could really be friends. And Flynn liked Eric well enough, sure. But Flynn and Aladdin really needed an inside guy, a sap to inadvertently let them in on the Captain's plans. And, if things got bad, they may need a fall guy. Eric was the first person to be open and welcoming to the two partners, having no idea what he might be getting himself into. This made him the perfect candidate.

"Hey, sailor! Any word on our course?" Flynn asked enthusiastically, clapping Eric on the back.

Eric chuckled and said, "We're headed to Corona."

Flynn's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. He knew that Corona was one of their pit-stops, but he never thought they'd be reaching it so soon. He could barely contain his excitement. "Ah, beautiful place. How long until we get there?"

Eric shrugged. "A couple of hours, I think. Not sure what we're looking for over there, though..."

Flynn grinned, thinking to himself, _Well, I know what I'm looking for. _Aloud, he replied, "I'm sure it's important if the Captain is interested." He turned to leave. Eric curiously watched him as he went.

Flynn practically had a spring in his step as he approached Aladdin, pulling him out of a conversation with some other sailors and dragging him toward the side of the ship, where no one was around to hear.

"What is it?" Aladdin quietly demanded, obviously annoyed by Flynn's interruption.

"We're heading to Corona." Flynn responded smugly.

"What, now?"

Flynn sighed. "Yes, now, as in _right now! _"

Aladdin smiled now. "So you're gonna get your mark?"

"Yeah, a lot earlier than expected. Hopefully I won't have to hold onto it for too long before we reach Agrabah... You remember your part, right?"

Aladdin nodded. "I'll cover you. And when we hit Agrabah, you'll do the same for me."

"And then we'll ditch this ship and go meet your dad and live like kings." Flynn said slyly.

The two went silent as a group of girls passed them, turning to look over the side of the ship to avoid conversation. The girls- Belle, Jane, Wendy and Alice- paid them no mind as they went along their way.

"Belle and I have to go help Milo in the library. We're doing some research on this magic flower to see if we can find clues to lead us to the lost princess." Jane explained to the two younger girls. It was very important business and they couldn't have Wendy and Alice hanging around to distract them or just be bored out of their minds. "Why don't you two go find a way to entertain yourselves, hmm? But stay out of trouble. Certainly there are some other children you can play with?" Jane tried to politely wave them off, but she was so distracted and in a hurry to go that her off-handed efficiency left the two younger girls a little hurt. Belle offered them a reassuring smile before going to follow Jane, leaving Wendy and Alice to their own devices on deck.

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to do some exploring." Wendy said optimistically, bouncing a little where she stood. This was the first time the girls had been left to wander unsupervised. Her blue eyes gleamed as she eagerly took in their surroundings.

"Where should we start?" Alice asked restlessly. She'd been itching to have free reign of the ship since boarding, but since John had left her in the hands of the Porters, that proved impossible.

"We could go down to engineering. Audrey works down there, and she's quite nice. We could learn all about the ship." Wendy suggested.

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Yes, but Merida also works down there, and she's quite crazy."

"Tell me how ya' really feel, lass." Merida said sarcastically from behind Alice, making the dainty blond jump nearly out of her skin. While Alice's face turned red, Wendy pressed a hand over her mouth to subdue her giggles. Merida smiled ruefully and pushed past the two younger girls. "Excuse me, girls. I have more important business to attend to."

After watching Merida leave, Wendy laughed a little at Alice's expression.

"Now that we know she's not down there, shall we head to engineering?" Wendy asked, unable to conceal her amusement.

Alice rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. "Fine, then. Let's go."

After leaving Wendy and Alice, Merida made her way below deck to find Adam helping out in the cargo room. She paused to lean in the doorway, crossing her arms and tilting her head as she watched him without him realizing she was there. He bent down to heft up a large crate with surprising ease, cradling the heavy wooden box with both wiry arms and carrying it to the opposite side of the room. He set it in the corner, then stood upright and used the back of his hand to swipe some sweat from his forehead. His normally tamed ponytail was in a frizzy disarray from all the taxing work.

"How's that?" Adam turned to ask Tarzan haughtily.

Tarzan smirked and nodded while walking over to drop another crate by the one Adam had just moved. "Much more manageable, Adam. Thanks. I'm sure Amelia will appreciate your organizational skills."

Adam shrugged and grumbled, "It wasn't that hard..."

Tarzan raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm not interruptin', am I?" Merida asked loudly from the doorway, making her presence known. Both brothers turned to look at her, Tarzan looking mildly surprised while Adam wore a characteristic glare.

"No, actually we were just finishing up." Tarzan replied coolly.

Merida nodded toward Adam. "Mind if I borrow him, then?"

Tarzan gave Adam a brief questioning look, which Adam responded to with an eye roll. Tarzan smirked and nodded at Merida as if he'd just come to understand something. "Sure."

Merida smiled quickly at him before curtly waving Adam over and walking out of the room. Adam gave Tarzan a nasty look before storming after Merida. Tarzan bit his lip on a snicker.

Once in a more confined space, Merida turned to see Adam looming over her, wearing a hateful expression that she was used to seeing from him by now.

"What was that all about?!" Adam growled. "Now he's going to think that we're-"

"Let him think what he wants. It doesn't matter." Merida carelessly shrugged.

"It does if Belle hears about it!" Adam snarled, then quickly collected himself. Merida stared up at him, slightly shocked by his sudden change of demeanor. An angry, yelling Adam she could handle easily, but a quiet, buttoned-up Adam who wouldn't let her know what he was thinking was a bit more intimidating. Unpredictable. He took a deep breath and bore down on her with a withering glare before whispering, "What do you want?"

"I was just coming to get you because I know where Belle is right now. And I know a way you can impress her." Merida supplied without hesitation.

Adam sighed. "Merida, the plan isn't working. All we've done is drive her into the arms of another guy who's way better than me."

Merida pulled a face at this, but said nothing.

Adam shook his head in defeat. "She would have never been interested in me, any way..."

Merida looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned her head up to look at him with determination. "Hey."

He looked down at her miserably. "What?"

"Are Belle and Hercules officially an item?"

Adam frowned. "_What? _"

Merida scoffed. "Is she wearin' a tag that says 'Property of Hercules'? Hmm? Is he bringin' her flowers and writin' her sonnets? Has he officially made his '_claim_' over her?" She curled her fingers on the quoted word, showing her distaste for the archaic language regarding romance.

Adam shook his head. "You can't honestly expect me to compete with Hercules. The guy is practically a _god. _I could never match up!"

Merida rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's not a _contest, _Adam. Belle isn't a prize. She's a human being, and she's the one who gets to choose who she wants to be with! If you really care for her, you'll at least put up a fight! Make her notice you! Show her that you share her interests! Don't just turn over and show your belly at the first sign of hardship! Did you think winning over the love of your life would be easy?"

Adam just stared at her in response, seeming to be thinking things over.

Merida sighed. "Look, I'm done listening to all yer whining and self-doubt. She's in the library right now, obviously doin' somethin' important and boring with the other bookworms. I'm not gonna stick around and make sure ya don't miss your chance. I've done my part." She turned to leave.

"Hey." Adam suddenly called after her. She turned toward him expectantly, finding his face contorted by a mix of emotions he was battling. But for the most part, he just looked spiteful of her. "Thanks."

Merida reared back a little, obviously shocked by his meager expression of gratitude. She nodded and turned to walk away, leaving Adam to his thoughts.

In the engine room, Audrey had finished giving Alice and Wendy a tour of the place and explaining to them how everything worked. Since this had turned out to be much less interesting than either girl had hoped, they both looked about ready to fall asleep. Audrey suppressed a sigh, then heard Peter laughing from where he and Jim were standing in the corner and turned to glare at him. Tinkerbell chittered in amusement while Peter continued to laugh and Jim just shook his head.

Suddenly, Merida burst into the room, looking around at them all in annoyance.

"Alright! Believe it or not, Audrey and I actually have important work to do. Now, the lot of ya', clear out!" Merida barked unhappily.

Alice, remembering her embarrassing exchange with Merida earlier, practically ran from the room, followed swiftly by Wendy, Peter, Tink and Jim.

As the four kids and the sprite arrived on the deck, they spotted a familiar form hopping around in the rigging and nimbly climbing the masts. Peter grinned and waved up at the figure, who easily climbed down and leapt from rope to rope until he hung above them like a monkey.

"Hey, Mowgli. They got you helping out up top?" Peter asked the lithe Indian boy.

Mowgli shrugged. "They decided they had enough cabin boys. Besides, I've always been good at climbing. And Tarzan and Rat have been showing me a few things, too. John Smith even helped me out once!"

Alice giggled at this.

Jim's eyebrows popped up. "Sounds like good experience."

Mowgli nodded.

Peter's expression became mischievous. "Hey, Mowgli... Do you think you could teach us how to do that?"

"Sure. It's pretty easy. As long as you're not afraid of heights." Mowgli replied.

Alice was immediately ecstatic about the idea. "Ooh, I bet you have the best view from up on the mast!"

Mowgli smiled. "Oh, yeah. It's beautiful."

"Let's do it, then!" Peter cheered.

Wendy was much more uneasy about the whole thing. "I'm not sure this is a good idea, Alice..."

Alice frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, my sister really wouldn't approve. And besides, it's not proper. You and I are both wearing dresses."

"Then we'll go to our cabin and change clothes. What's the big deal? We won't get many opportunities like this, you know."

"What's the problem, Wendy? Are you scared?" Peter teased her, a challenging gleam in his eye.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No. I just think it's a stupid idea." She glanced up toward the mast. "It could be dangerous."

"You know, we probably won't let you fall." He smirked.

More seriously, Mowgli added, "I can catch you if you slip, Wendy. I won't let you get hurt."

"And if we get in trouble, I'll take full responsibility." Alice cut in. She folded her hands in front of her chest and begged, "_Please, _Wendy?"

Wendy thought on it for a moment, obviously still doubtful. Then, slowly, she begrudgingly nodded her head. "Alright, then."

Alice squealed excitedly and grabbed Wendy's hand. "Come on! Let's go get changed!" As Alice eagerly led her away, Wendy cast another nervous glance toward the mast, ignoring Peter's pointed triumphant grin. As they watched the girls walk away, Jim leaned toward Peter and whispered, "You know, scaring her probably isn't the best way to win her over."

Peter laughed. "What? I like my girls adventurous. And imagine how much she'd like me if I saved her from falling. I think it's a brilliant plan."

Tink whined unhappily at this. Mowgli shook his head.

Jim rolled his eyes and replied, "Whatever. You better hope no one gets hurt. There's no way either of those girls has any experience climbing around in the rigging."

While they were stirring up trouble on the deck, Adam was stepping tentatively into the library, briefly glancing around for Belle. She sat at a table with Jane and Milo, and hadn't noticed him yet. Adam ducked his head and walked over to the nearest aisle of books, hiding himself and trying to act natural. But that plan was quickly overturned when he realized he was standing in the astrology section. He knew nothing about astrology! As if it were believable for him to be here. Belle had to know by now that he was an idiot...

Adam remembered what Merida had said to him earlier and pulled himself together. He needed to focus on winning Belle's affection, not on tearing himself down. He moved as casually as possible among the aisles, fighting the urge to look over at Belle whenever she was in plain view. It didn't take him long to realize that he had no idea what to look for, or what section to pretend to browse in. He never read... He found reading boring. How was he supposed to pick a book without knowing if Belle would see it and think it was a dumb choice? He didn't know what kind of books she liked...

Although, there was one book that he used to see her carrying around a lot back home... That one had to be a favorite of hers. But he had no idea what it was called, or what genre it was; the cover was just plain blue. How would he even know if it was here?

Adam hesitantly turned toward Belle. Maybe he could just ask her.

After taking a moment to gather his courage, he approached the table. Jane and Milo both noticed him but paid him no mind, aside from a brief smile from Milo. Belle didn't seem to notice Adam hovering over her. Feeling foolish, he cleared his throat, prompting her to look up at him. She welcomed him with her usual friendly smile, immediately flooding him with warmth. He looked stunned for a few seconds, then remembered why he was here.

"Um... I was wondering...if you could help me with something?" He asked nervously.

Belle looked curiously up at him. "Yes?"

"Well... I've kind of run out of books to read. And I've heard that you're kind of the literature expert. So... Maybe you could recommend something?" He felt like he could just curl up and die right now, this was so painfully embarrassing.

Belle perked up now, obviously intrigued. "Well, do you have a favorite genre?"

Adam faltered now. "N-no... No, I, uh... I don't have a favorite. I like them all." He shrugged stiffly. His whole body was rigid to avoid fidgeting.

Belle thought this over, then smiled. "I think I have something. And you won't even have to check it out." She turned briefly away to reach into her bag and pulled something out. Adam felt his heart skip a beat when she held that plain blue book out to him, the binding worn after years and years of use. Belle grinned, her hazel eyes gleaming with unabashed excitement. "My favorite genre is fantasy, and this happens to be my favorite book."

Adam raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "Really?"

She giggled. "Really. It's the one book I can never get sick of re-reading. So many interesting things happen in it. Reading it feels like being on a real adventure." She looked fondly at the book.

Adam carefully took it from her, holding it like it was fine China. "What's in it?"

"Far-off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise..." She explained dreamily. The last part really piqued Adam's interest, but he did his best to hide it. Belle smiled up at him. "I'm sure you'll like it."

He returned the smile and nodded, looking shyly down at the book. "Since you recommended it, I'm sure I will..."

Belle looked at him for a moment, then said in a light-hearted tone, "Don't take too long with it, though. I'll be wanting it back soon. I never go anywhere without it."

Adam smirked at her. "I'll protect it with my life."

They shared an odd moment of eye contact, each one seeming like they were trying to figure the other out. Jane and Milo exchanged confused looks. Then, the door burst open and they all looked up to see Hercules walking in, beaming with excitement the moment he laid eyes on Belle. In return, her lips spread in a grin and she impulsively hopped up out of her seat and practically ran to greet him, giggling quietly. Jane and Milo shared knowing smirks while Adam stared down at his feet to hide his disappointment.

"Hello, Belle." Hercules greeted her softly. "They told me you'd be in here. I hope I'm not intruding..."

She quickly shook her head. "No, not at all. Um... Well, I'd invite you to sit with us, but I think you might get bored..."

"Actually, Belle, I think you deserve a little break. Why don't you and Hercules go walk around the deck a little while, hmm?" Jane chimed in.

Belle looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"

"If we find anything interesting- which I sincerely doubt- we'll just fill you in when you get back. Right, Milo?" Jane nudged him slightly.

Milo quickly nodded in agreement. "Yup."

"Well, um...alright." Belle laughed nervously as Hercules started to lead her out. She turned briefly to mouth the words "Thank you" to Jane, who responded to her with a thumbs-up. As the door shut, blocking Belle and Hercules from view, Adam felt his heart sink.

Jane sighed and went back to reading, muttering to Milo, "There's not much to distract that girl from her reading. I don't think I've ever seen her move away from a book so eagerly as just now. Have you?"

Milo shook his head distractedly, lost in the printed words on the page in front of him.

Adam was seething now, feeling his stomach turn violently. He stormed out of the library and onto the deck, keeping Belle's book firmly clenched in one hand. He strode purposefully toward the side of the ship, intending to clear his head...

"Wendy, watch out!" A young girl shouted overhead.

Adam looked up to see the youngest Porter girl make a misstep while trying to traverse the ropes. She screamed ad she started to sail toward the deck while everyone else looked on in terror. Mowgli swung on a rope to try to catch her, but was too slow. Adam gritted his teeth and dove forward to stop her descent, but before he was even close enough, Hercules leapt in the way and deftly caught Wendy in his arms, leaving Adam to hit the ground uselessly. Everyone on the deck started to cheer and ran over to congratulate Hercules while he held Wendy in his arms like a child. He carefully put Wendy down. She was shaking a little, but was unharmed. She gave him a quick hug to express her gratitude.

"Hercules, that was amazing!" Belle cried, placing a hand on his shoulder. He grinned at her proudly. Belle then noticed Adam sprawled on the ground at their feet and looked at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

Adam stared up at her in disbelief, then jumped up to his feet. "Yeah..."

Jane and Milo were running over now, having heard the commotion from the library.

"Wendy! Wendy?" Jane called, then sighed in relief as she pulled her little sister close. "Are you alright?"

Wendy nodded. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks to Hercules."

Jane smiled at him now. "Oh, Hercules, I can't thank you enough. We're lucky to have a hero like you on board."

Adam rolled his eyes and turned away.

Now Jane noticed Alice and the boys still watching from up in the rigging and gasped. She started to scold Wendy, "And just what were you girls thinking, climbing around up there?"

Wendy looked down at her feet. "Alice thought it would be fun..."

Alice sputtered indignantly from her perch on the mast. Jane narrowed her eyes up at the young blond and motioned for her to come down immediately. Alice groaned and started to climb down. The boys followed suit.

Jim gave Peter an annoyed look. "Didn't really go according to plan, did it?"

Alice turned to Peter with a murderous glare. "Did you intend for this to happen?"

Peter rolled his eyes and threw out a hand to push Jim. "Thanks a lot-"

"Peter, don't!" Alice gasped.

But it was too late. Peter hadn't realized how hard he'd shoved Jim, but apparently it was hard enough to throw him right off the ropes. Jim cried out as he fell toward the deck. Adam, who was right below him, was just walking away from the Hercules fan club when the sound of his younger brother's shout ringing out made him look upward. He couldn't act quickly enough before Jim landed right on top of him, leaving them both in a painful heap on the deck while everyone around stared at them.

"What is going on out here?" Amelia demanded as she and her officers stormed onto the deck.

Adam quickly climbed up to his feet, lifting Jim up with him.

"N - nothing, ma'am. My brother and his friends were just goofing off. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Adam tried to mollify her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes. You see to that."

Jim groaned as Adam's grip on him became painful. Adam withheld the rage that broiled just beneath the surface of his skin and dragged Jim away toward their cabin, leaving everyone else to face Amelia's scrutiny.

Jim shouted when Adam tossed him into the room, crashing into his bunk. He turned over just in time to see Adam barreling toward him. He quickly rolled out of the way and onto the floor, making a mad dash for the door. But Adam whirled around and launched himself at Jim, tackling him back to the ground. He was ready to have Jim pinned, but Jim knew by now, after years of wrestling, how to match his larger brother. They grappled and rolled around for awhile. Jim knew that he could keep this going for awhile, and once Adam got tired, he could get the upper hand.

Adam seemed to have other plans, though. He was much more aggressive today than usual; something must have really upset him. And now he was going to take it out on Jim. In a swift motion, he wrapped the teenager up in a headlock, keeping Jim pinned so that his back was pressed firmly against Adam's chest. Jim struggled as hard as he could, but it was futile. And his arms, stuck over his head thanks to Adam's vice-like grip, were slowly going numb.

"What the hell were you thinking up there?!" Adam growled, giving Jim a short, violent jerk. "Do you know how embarrassing that was?!" He shook Jim around with more force than he realized.

Jim was losing patience now. "What, did I make you look dumb in front of your little girlfriend?"

Adam roared, "You made me look dumb in front of _everyone! _" He suddenly charged forward, aiming to slam Jim into the dresser ahead of them. Jim thought fast, kicking up his legs to brace himself against the dresser. Amazingly, the wooden bit of furniture didn't break upon impact. It was sturdy, and only groaned slightly in protest as Jim pressed his heavy boots into it. With a burst of effort, Jim pushed off the dresser with both legs, sending him and Adam sailing back into the opposite wall. Adam grunted as his back made contact with the wall. He knew he'd be feeling that for awhile; his shoulder blades, which had taken the brunt of it, would surely bruise.

"I dunno why you're still so hung up on her!" Jim cried. "I mean, as if it wasn't obvious before that she didn't want you, now she's even found someone else! Why are you even bothering?" Jim knew what buttons he had to press. Adam needed to expend this energy before it culminated into something that could endanger the whole crew.

Even angrier now, Adam turned over, thrashing Jim into the wall before he had time to reach. Jim squirmed and wriggled about, eventually throwing Adam off-balance. They both shouted as they toppled over and onto the floor.

Tarzan burst in now, looking panicked, as he had heard the fight from outside. His concern gave way to annoyance as he watched his younger brothers continue to wrestle and yell nonsensically on the ground.

"Hey!" He barked.

Both Adam and Jim immediately froze and fell silent, gaping up at him like guilty children. Tarzan rolled his eyes and said in his typical low tone, "Pull yourselves together. We're nearing Corona."

Corona was a very small planet, but nevertheless it was bustling with activity and packed with inhabitants of every shape, size and species. Entering the gates to the kingdom and approaching the marketplace was like stepping into some fairytale world. The intricate architecture created a lovely backdrop for the energetic market and the citizens that ran through it. It was all almost too much to take in at once, and most of the crew of the _Legacy _felt overwhelmed. Amelia, however, seemed evermore infatuated with the place.

"Right. John, Phoebus, Hercules, Mr. Arrow, and Robin shall accompany me to the palace. The rest of you, enjoy what this lovely little planet has to offer, hm?" Amelia announced to the crew, earning cheers from the others. She smirked as she led her team away, leaving everyone else to their own devices.

While everyone began to split up, Flynn pulled Aladdin aside and whispered, "Alright. I'm going to make my way to the castle too."

Aladdin's eyes widened. "Right now? You're going to steal the crown in broad daylight, only a few days before the lost princess's birthday? Do you know how tight security will be?"

Flynn smirked. "It won't be a problem. Trust me. But I need the ship empty so I can hide the crown afterward."

Aladdin turned to see Eric walking back toward the ship. Eric was the only crew member who was hesitant to leave the ship alone in this quaint port.

Aladdin nodded and said, "Alright, I'll distract him. But be quick."

Flynn gave him a cocky wink before slipping away and disappearing into the crowd. Aladdin shook his head. He knew that Flynn was the expert, but he couldn't help worrying. Aladdin quickly decided not to let himself dwell on what could go wrong and hurried over to stop Eric.

"Captain, we've been at this for hours with no clues to go off of. Don't you think it would be wise to ask around and see if the citizens know anything?" Mr. Arrow pointed out to Amelia as their team was trekking through the forest that surrounded the kingdom.

"I think that if the citizens knew anything, the princess wouldn't still be lost." John joked half-heartedly.

Mr. Arrow shot him a look. "Unless they wanted her to be."

The group paused now.

Hercules frowned. "You think that the people would turn on their King and Queen like that?"

"I just don't think we should rule out the possibility." Mr. Arrow said warily. "The royals only got a glimpse of the person who kidnapped their daughter- the old woman. Even if the commoners weren't directly involved, one of them could have been an accomplice, or unwittingly harboring the kidnapper all these years. At the very least, they might know someone who fits the description."

"That is quite brilliant, Mr. Arrow." Amelia said. "There you go, making me look like an embecile again."

Mr. Arrow chuckled and shook his head, adjusting his hat. "No, I don't believe anyone could make you look like an embecile, Captain."

"Good answer. Very well, then. Why don't you, Phoebus and John go ask around while Robin, Hercules and myself continue to search the forest? We're bound to stumble upon something eventually." Amelia said.

Mr. Arrow nodded. "Excellent, Captain." He started to lead John and Phoebus back toward the kingdom.

Flynn had snagged the crown in record time, and slipped away without being spotted. He moved quickly, taking a long way through the forest to avoid being tracked to the ship. He figured he didn't have too long before the palace guards would realize the kingdom's most prized possession was missing and a search would be called for. He had to hide this thing, but not on the ship. No one could know that the _Legacy _or any of its crew members was involved in the theft. He hoped he could stash it somewhere in the forest without bringing down its value. He'd have to go deeper in, find a hollow tree or something...

Flynn suddenly heard voices up ahead and paused. Although they were familiar voices, they didn't instill comfort in him. He silently ducked behind some bushes as Amelia, Hercules, and the mysterious Fox passed him by. He squatted there for a moment, out of sight, but while they chattered distractedly he knew he'd better move. While keeping a close eye on them, he carefully started to inch his way backward, further into the brush.

"She must be pretty far from the kingdom... I mean, the kidnapper wouldn't want to stay too close to the victim's home, right?" Hercules was saying. "They could be anywhere on this planet! Maybe the kidnapper even managed to get them passage to another planet..."

"Well, we're going to hope that that's not the case, Hercules." Amelia said.

"Just like we're hoping that the lost princess is still alive. Who's to say what the kidnapper did with the baby after taking her?" The Fox said warily.

"Oh, Robin, don't be so pessimistic. If the princess really had healing powers, the kidnapper would have kept her alive so she could use them!" Amelia chided.

_Oh, I guess Aladdin was right about Robin Hood being aboard... _Flynn thought as he continually crept away, unable to see what was behind him. Suddenly, his foot found empty air and he slipped backward into a dark cavity in the ground. As he fell, he could see nothing, because overhead the hole was shielded by the bushes, and the hidden tunnel that he rolled through was pitch-black. The only sound was the air rushing around him and the occasional grunt or groan that escaped his lips as he barreled downward. Eventually, he hit flat ground and with a couple of somersaults he found himself sitting on the ground in a sunny little hidden valley.

Flynn looked himself over to make sure he wasn't hurt or that he hadn't lost the crown- which, to him, would have been the real tragedy. Then, he took a moment to look around at his surroundings. He couldn't help feeling a little awed for a few seconds as he surveyed the valley. It was small, but spacey, surrounded mostly by rocky cliff faces, letting out on one side to another end of the deep forest. A waterfall spilled down from one cliff and into a crystal-clear, shallow pond. And in the center of it all, on a low, grassy hill, was a quaint and lonely farmhouse. The valley was a dreamy little place, only fitting for being so near that fairytale-like kingdom, yet tucked away from all the activity.

With no animals around, and no lights coming from inside the house, Flynn figured nobody could be living out here. The place was abandoned, but it couldn't have been for very long, considering how nice it looked. He decided to hide out here a little while and get his bearings. This could be the perfect place to hide the crown. He was sure he could find his way here again and retrieve the crown before the _Legacy _would have to part.

Flynn jogged over to the farmhouse, taking a quick peek through the front windows to make sure the place was empty. When he was confident that the coast was clear, he carefully picked the lock of the front door and let himself in. He glanced around as he slipped into the darkened living room, observing the homey, plain look of the place. Most of it didn't pack much of a punch in the dim lighting, but the few spots that were highlighted by the sunlight leaking in through the windows were shining bits of lustrous old wood and pops of bright color.

Flynn crept quietly through the place, realizing that this place wasn't abandoned after all. The pristine furniture and decorations and sentimental knick-knacks set up around the place were evidence enough. Whoever lived here was just out for the moment, probably taking part in the activities in the kingdom. Although, Flynn had to assume that whoever lived all the way out here didn't make regular trips to the marketplace. This seemed like the kind of secluded area that the typical paranoid recluse longed for. That seemed like a very specific example, but something about this place felt very..._off _ to Flynn. He decided now that he couldn't hang around much longer; he'd have to hide the crown somewhere in the woods like he'd planned to before.

He heard a soft creak behind him and started to turn around. But before he could, something solid and metal struck the back of his head. Flynn groaned and sagged to his knees, reaching up both hands to shield the wound. While he was seeing spots, someone swooped in and grabbed his satchel.

"Who are you, and why are you in my house?!" A young girl demanded from somewhere out of Flynn's line of sight.

He groaned in response, trying to turn his head to look at her. But she was standing back in the shadows, and any movement made his head spin.

The girl scoffed. Then, there was a shuffling sound, presumably her rifling through his bag. There was a short pause, then the sound of the satchel hitting the floor. Flynn forced himself to sit up and turn toward her, squinting to see her holding the crown in her dainty hands.

"What is this?" She asked, experimentally sticking her hand through it as if it were a giant bracelet.

Flynn stared at her, one eye squeezed shut. "Are you being serious?"

"It's really pretty. Where'd you get it from?" She seemed genuinely curious, not interrogative.

"It doesn't matter. It's mine. Now, please, put it back." He said seriously.

She stepped into the light now, revealing her youthful face, slight frame, and absurdly long golden hair. Her green eyes gleamed like the many jewels on the crown. Flynn found himself momentarily speechless. But he was forced to collect himself when a suspicious look crossed the girl's face.

"What's so important about it?" She asked.

Flynn sighed. "It's worth a lot of money... It's important that I get it to my ship."

Her cross look softened now to obvious intrigue. "Your ship?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. I'm a sailor."

Her eyes grew wider now, and she grinned. "So... You get to travel all over the world?"

Flynn scoffed. "Try the whole galaxy, Blondie."

She tilted her head. "The galaxy?"

He frowned. "Yeah... You do know that there are other planets aside from Corona, right?"

"Planets?" She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"No one ever taught you about the universe? Solar systems, galaxies, black holes, stars?"

"Ooh! I know about stars! I've charted them myself." She said proudly. Then, her face fell. "But...all the other stuff... I've never heard of any of that."

Flynn slowly stood up. "But everyone should be learning about it in school. The Galactic Federation made it mandatory."

The girl just looked more confused, and now a little uneasy. Flynn couldn't help feeling bad for her.

"Have you...never been in a school before?" He asked softly.

She was reluctant to answer at first, but eventually it just came out. "No... My mother never lets me leave the house. She's worried that something will happen to me, like the lost princess."

Flynn frowned. That didn't make a lot of sense... But he'd always figured that having kids turned people crazy. "Oh... Well, once you're old enough, you oughtta get out sometime. There's a great big world out there to explore. Now, if you'll just-" He started to reach for the crown that she gripped like a lifeline.

She reared back from his reach. "You think I haven't dreamed my whole life about what's out there? I wish I could see the things you get to see, and travel wherever I want..." She was gesturing wildly with both hands, waving the crown through the air. Seeing how Flynn pulled faces and nervously flinched as he watched this, the girl paused and looked the crown over again. "This does look vaguely familiar..." She turned to him suspiciously. "Did it come from the palace?"

Flynn scoffed and shook his head. "What? No!" He waved the notion away.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It seems too well-crafted and fancy to have come from anywhere else... It belongs to the King and Queen, doesn't it?"

Flynn sighed in defeat. "Listen, Blondie-"

"My name is Rapunzel." She cut in forcefully.

"Gesundheit." He muttered.

"Did you _steal _this?" Rapunzel demanded.

"Well-"

"You _stole _this from the palace! You're a _thief! _" She stuck the crown back into his satchel, then slung the bag over her shoulder. Then, she reached behind her and wielded the heavy frying pan she'd just used to hit him over the head. "Stay back!"

"Whoa, Blondie, hang on! What are you gonna do?" Flynn held his hands up defensively.

"I'm going to- to... I'll knock you out and return this to the palace myself. Then the guards will come to arrest you!"

"Oh, come on, Rapunzel, there must be something I can do to change your mind? Huh? Isn't there something you want? Let me go free with that crown, and I'll give you anything!"

She hesitated for a moment, lowering her frying pan a little. She raised one eyebrow. "Anything?"

"Anything! Even a percent of the profits, if you want. Name your price." He assured her.

Rapunzel seemed to come to a conclusion in her head, raising the frying pan up again in a way that Flynn supposed was meant to be menacing.

"I want to be a sailor, like you." She stated.

Flynn gawked at her. "What?"

"I want to live on a ship and meet people and go on adventures and explore distant lands! I want to see amazing things; I want to have amazing stories to tell when I get old! My mother is smothering me. I can't stay here any more. So...take me with you."

Flynn chuckled and started to shake his head. "Oh, no. No, no, _no. _I can't just-"

"Okay, I guess I'll just go running and screaming through the woods until a guard comes-"

"No! I mean- Just- Ugh, look, the life of a sailor isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not glamorous, and a lot of the time, it's not even exciting. It's hard work. Have you ever even had a job before?"

"No... But I'm a quick learner. I've spent my whole life teaching myself things. I'm sure I can do stuff to help on the ship."

Flynn scoffed. "How am I even supposed to explain this to the Captain! I can't just bring on a new crewmember without consulting her."

"Then consult her! Say whatever you have to to get me on that ship! Or I'll be forced to tell her about this little incident." Rapunzel teasingly patted the satchel that rested on her hip. "I'm guessing she doesn't know what you've been up to?"

"Alright, alright, fine! But... What if you decide you don't want to be a sailor any more? What if you want to come back?"

"I don't think I will, but... If that does happen, you guys can just send me back. And I won't say a word about any of this to anyone. I promise."

Flynn crossed his arms. "How do I know I can trust you, kid?"

"When I make a promise, I never break it. _Ever._" Rapunzel said with a level of intensity that Flynn wasn't expecting.

"O...kay." Flynn muttered.

"So? Do we have a deal?" Rapunzel asked.

Flynn stared at her, then at the satchel.

Rapunzel sighed. "You can have your bag back once you get me onto the ship."

"And the crown?"

"Yes, and the crown."

Flynn took a moment to think it over. "Fine... Just don't make me look bad, Blondie. You better actually be useful on the ship."

Rapunzel giggled and stuck her frying pan in the satchel, carefully setting it under the fragile crown. "Let me pack a few of my things and we can go right away."

"Aladdin, it'll only take me a minute!" Eric said, obviously irritated as Aladdin followed him aboard the ship. "I just need to-" They both froze when they saw Flynn and a strange girl in the loading bay. Eric crossed his arms as he approached them. Aladdin was close behind and trying to not look nervous.

"Flynn? Who's this?" Eric asked, nodding toward the young girl at his side. She was very young, with big green eyes, and her blond hair was pulled back in a long braid that nearly touched the floor. She wore a fairly plain purple dress and no shoes, and carried one old duffel bag.

Flynn smiled easily and replied, "This is Rapunzel. She's interested in the sailing life, so I thought I'd take it upon myself to recruit her." He winked at Rapunzel and she giggled.

Eric frowned. "Flynn, just because you met some girl on a stop-over-"

"No, no, it's not like that, Eric!" Flynn cut in, chuckling nervously while Rapunzel looked confused. "This is strictly business. The girl's got a knack for ships, I'm telling you."

"Well, even so, you can't just invite someone to join the crew. Amelia has to make that decision." Eric said sternly.

"That's why we were just looking for her. Is she still out searching?" Flynn asked.

Eric nodded. "Yeah. Knowing her, they'll be out until the early morning..." A strange beep from above them caught their attention. Eric looked up toward the sound. "What? Who could be calling us right now?" He started to walk up toward the deck. "I gotta check the holophone."

"Ooh, I've heard of that! Never seen one though..." Rapunzel eagerly followed Eric.

Aladdin gave Flynn a questioning look. Flynn rolled his eyes and mouthed "Later" in response before leading Aladdin after the others.

Eric figured he probably shouldn't allow these three into Amelia's office, but decided that they couldn't do any harm. He was just answering a call. But as they approached the sleek, compact device on the Captain's desk, Eric saw the red flashing light and the beeping intensified. He'd never heard the holophone make that noise before, but it fit the description of am emergency call. Eric told the others to stand back and quickly answered the call, expecting to face a member of the Council. Instead he saw someone that made all the color drain from his face.

Amelia heard her watch beeping urgently and glanced down to see she was getting an emergency call on her portable holophone. She frowned and signaled for Robin and Hercules to stop moving while she answered it. She was mildly surprised to see Packard's face looking up at her.

"What is it, Ms. Packard?" Amelia asked.

"Sorry to bother you Captain. But Eric said he couldn't reach you from the ship because the woods are blocking his comms. He had to call me to relay this message." Packard explained in her in her slow drone.

Amelia couldn't help already feeling impatient. "Yes, alright. What is it?"

"He's received a distress call that he believes deserves your attention. He also thinks it's for the best that everyone return to the ship."

"Well, I don't believe Eric has the authority to make that call. I'll see to this myself. Thank you, Packard." Amelia ended the call, sighing. She turned to Hercules and Robin. "I'm going to the ship. You two keep searching these woods until you hear from me again."

When Amelia walked into her darkened office, she found Eric accompanied by Milo, Cookie, Tiana and Joshua Sweet, Vinny and Mole. She raised one eyebrow and Eric quickly explained, "I figured they could confirm the authenticity of the call. This seems to be their area of expertise."

Amelia turned to Milo with a questioning look.

Milo sighed. "It seems that the _Jolly Roger _has made its way to the planet Atlantis."

Amelia's eyebrows shot up. "Atlantis? But no one's been able to find Atlantis. No one's heard a word from the Atlanteans since Earth's collapse."

"We were on the path to finding Atlantis ourselves, thanks to Mr. Whitmore. There's a book, an ancient tome that came directly from Atlantis- _The Shepherd's Journal. _ It's an explorer's only hope at finding the lost planet. We went looking for the journal on Eiriol, the ice planet. We almost died looking for it, but never found the journal. As it turns out, two members of the _Jolly Roger _found it before we could." Milo explained.

"Hook called us from the King of Atlantis's old holophone. He and his crew are threatening to end the indigenous civilization and destroy the planet." Eric told the Captain.

Amelia's expression turned cold. "Is Hook on hold?"

Eric nodded. "Yes."

She took her seat, leaning forward over her desk. "Put him on."

Eric obediently resumed the call, and a projection of the infamous Captain Hook took up the center of the office. The small group took their places alongside their Captain to face the pirate, whose expression was unreadable.

"Hello, Amelia. They've finally given you your very own ship, hmm?" Hook drawled lowly.

Amelia narrowed her eyes at Hook's surroundings. From the ancient architecture and foreign heiroglyphs surrounding him, she had to assume that he was in an alien environment she didn't recognize.

"Cut the chit-chat, James. Is it true that you're on Atlantis?" She demanded.

He stared at her for a moment, his expression emotionless. Then, his blue eyes flashed with mischief and he chuckled. He stood up and momentarily left their line of sight. When he returned, he was dragging an older man dressed in regal robes. Hook sat back down and forced the man to his knees in front of him. Seeing the older man's face clearly, Amelia saw a long white beard, blue tribal tattoos, and blind eyes. She recognized this man, but she wasn't sure from where.

Milo gasped beside her. "The King of Atlantis..."

Amelia glanced up at him with a guarded expression. "Is it truly him?"

Milo nodded. "I'm sure of it. I've done extensive research on the cultures and history of Atlantis. That's King Kashekim."

Amelia looked at him for a moment, then turned back to Hook with a deadly expression. "What exactly are you hoping to gain from this escapade, James Hook?"

Hook's smirk was barely detectable to her trained, critical eyes. It was gone in a flash, and his deep voice once more emanated through the air.

"I'm only seeking a meeting with you, Amelia. A meeting regarding something quite dear to my heart that only you can help me with. Come meet me on Atlantis. Find me, and you can save all these people. Help me out, and Atlantis won't have to burn."

"And how exactly are we supposed to find Atlantis?" Amelia asked.

"It will be treacherous, but if we could find our way, I'm sure it will be all too easy for you."

Amelia detected the hint of bitter malice underlying Hook's tone and glared at him.

"But, I'll throw you a bone and send you the coordinates right now." Hook continued, reaching off to the side and typing on a keyboard Amelia couldn't see.

After a moment, the holophone on Amelia's desk beeped. The blue flashing light alerted Amelia that she'd just received a file. She hesitantly opened it, not trusting Hook's antics. When a projection of an unfamiliar galaxy popped up, Amelia reached up a hand to get a closer look. She used her claws to expand the map, zooming in on the largest planet, which she assumed was Atlantis. She turned toward Milo and his associates.

"Does this seem right to you?" She asked.

Milo stepped forward, awestruck as he studied the projected map. He gently reached up one hand and tapped on the planet. The projection zoomed in to reveal the vast jungles, dark caves, misty mountains, and luxurious waterfalls that decorated the planet. At last, they were looking at a picture of an elevated kingdom in the middle of a large valley, the entrance marked by long, rickety bridge leading to the wilderness. Milo stared at the small, fairly dilapidated kingdom and nodded, pointing out the minute details in the architecture and markings.

"That's it, alright." Milo breathed.

Amelia tapped a button that made the map disappear temporarily. She looked evenly up at Hook, who'd been smugly watching the whole time.

"There's nothing I can offer you to change your mind?" Amelia asked him.

Hook tilted his head to one side. "You do have something I want. But you must bring it to me. If you don't come and face me, Atlantis and all its people will be decimated."

King Kashekim muttered something in his own language. Hook stared at him for a moment, then knocked him to the ground with one swift, forceful kick to the head. A few of Amelia's crew flinched or looked away, but she remained stoic. Hook stared back at Amelia with eyes that seemed to burn like embers.

"And Amelia? Just your ship. Don't involve your precious Federation. Don't call the Council for help. If I suspect that you've involved anyone else, we will destroy everything. Then, we will come after you and your crew." Hook growled.

Amelia smirked and replied casually, "Oh, James, I wouldn't dream of trying to cross you. I know exactly what you're capable of by now. You've no need to threaten me."

Hook glowered at her for a moment, putting everyone on edge. Amelia refused to convey her own uneasiness. She wouldn't let Hook feel like he'd already triumphed.

"Believe me, Amelia. You've no idea _exactly _what I'm capable of..." He rose from his seat and drew closer to the camera ahead of him, filling everyone's vision with only his menacing face. "Be seeing you." He reached up his left hand, blinding them all with his palm, and ended the call.

The room remained dark until Amelia reached over and ended the call on her end, automatically lighting the office. She bit her lip for a moment, deep in thought. Then, she pressed a button, making a panel in the surface of her desk flip over to reveal a keyboard. She tapped a few keys, sending the map to Atlantis to her personal holophone. Her watch beeped as it received the coordinates.

"I'm guessing we're going after them, Captain?" Eric asked.

She turned to him with a slight smirk, her feline eyes gleaming. "Of course we are." She stood up, bringing everyone to attention. "We'll be departing within the hour. I'll be meeting again with the King and Queen to explain the situation to them, and to assure them that we'll be back as soon as we can to carry out our promise. Meanwhile, you all will retrieve our crew and brief them on the new mission. Everyone better be aboard by the time I get back. We'll be leaving with or without the stragglers." Amelia marched out of the office, followed by the six of them.

"Chop-chop, Mr. Rat! We've no time to waste!" Amelia shouted up toward the masts. Rat, Tarzan, and Mowgli were jumping around every which way to set the sails. John and Sinbad were helping where they could. The rest of the crew was bustling about above and below deck, preparing for launch.

"Um, Captain? I need to speak to you about something." Flynn said politely, wearing his most charming grin.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"There's someone I'd like you to meet." Flynn gestured toward the stranger at his side, a young blond girl whose naivete rolled off her slim form in waves.

Amelia arched an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

"This is Rapunzel. She's expressed an interest in the ship, and wishes to join the crew." Flynn explained. Rapunzel bounced excitedly by his side.

Amelia looked sternly at the girl, then at Flynn. "Well, that's not exactly how it works, is it, Mr. Rider?" She looked at Rapunzel now. "Any previous experience aboard a sailing vessel, miss?"

Rapunzel sheepishly shook her head. "Not really... No experience in _anything_, to be honest..."

Amelia stared at her, then turned and narrowed her eyes at Flynn, who was forcing a grin. "Honestly, Mr. Rider?"

"Well..." He sighed.

"But there are a lot of things I'm good at!" Rapunzel blurted nervously. "I have a lot of hobbies... Let me show you what-"

"I'm afraid there's no time, dear girl. We're preparing to go on a very dangerous mission. An entire planet's fate rests in our hands. Hopefully, we'll be back to Corona in a few weeks. If you still wish to join us then, you and I can have a meeting." Amelia waved dismissively and turned to go.

After she was gone, Flynn shook his head and turned, expecting to see a very disappointed Rapunzel. Instead, he was looking around at the rushing crowd. Rapunzel had disappeared. Flynn looked around in confusion and slight concern for a moment before hearing a girlish shriek from overhead. Flynn looked up to see Rapunzel swinging easily through the open air on a rope, swiftly helping Rat to hoist the main sail. The other men working in the rigging all cheered and clapped for her impressive ability. A few people on the deck gasped or gaped up at the mysterious girl who was so adept with the ropes. Flynn couldn't help grinning.

Rapunzel and Tarzan fastened the rope and she hopped down onto the deck, giggling. The crowd around her cheered and a few even came over to greet and congratulate her. Flynn started to walk toward her, but paused when he saw Amelia thinking ahead of him. He watched tentatively as the Captain marched over to Rapunzel, looking the dainty girl over with a hardened expression. Rapunzel, though intimidated, forced herself to meet the Feline's gaze.

Amelia tipped her head back regally, her gloved hands clasped behind her back. "Impressive, girl... But is there anything else you can do? I have plenty of hands to help up top."

Rapunzel brightened up. "Oh, I can do plenty of things! I'm quite good at cooking, cleaning, baking, reading, painting, candle-making, pottery, darts, chess, knitting, sewing... Ooh! I can sing and play guitar, chart stars..."

Amelia's eyebrows had nearly disappeared into her hairline. "My, my..."

"I'm also a fairly good ventriloquist, if I may say so." Rapunzel shrugged.

Amelia smirked and stuck out a hand for Rapunzel to shake. "Welcome aboard, my dear."

Rapunzel grinned and eagerly gripped Amelia's hand with both of hers, vigorously shaking. "Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Amelia pulled her hand back. "Right... Make yourself at home. Have Phoebus find you a room." She walked away stiffly.

Rapunzel shrieked happily, jumping around and hugging herself. She noticed Flynn laughing as he approached her and forced herself to calm down.

"Looks like you didn't really need my help after all, Blondie. You're really something, you know that?" He smirked.

Rapunzel awkwardly played with her braid. "Thanks..."

"Now, about my satchel..." Flynn started.

She rolled her eyes. "Later, when no one can see. I don't want to be associated with your crime if you get caught. Now, take me to, um... Phoebus, is it?"

Gothel didn't appreciate disloyal, ungrateful brats who didn't appreciate the measures she took to protect them. And she'd never failed to severely punish Rapunzel the few other times she'd tried to run away. But now, that horrible, selfish girl had finally succeeded. It had been so long since Rapunzel's last escape attempt, Gothel was just starting to believe the girl had finally given up. She had finally started to trust Rapunzel enough to leave her home alone... And this is what it had gotten her.

She'd spent all day searching, believing that the girl couldn't have gotten far on her own. But then, she'd heard about how the _Legacy _had left port, quite suddenly, and realized that her prize was far, far beyond her reach. Rather than sit in that house full of mirrors- a monument to her own vanity- and watch herself become decrepit, Gothel decided to go drink away the feeling of defeat instead.

So here she sat, in the Snuggly Duckling, a dark tavern writhing with cutthroat criminals under a misleading name. She ignored the brazen compliments and lustful leers of the thugs surrounding her. She was the only woman here, and she understood she was beautiful. Being so confident in her looks only invited more unwelcome advances and conversations that she had to turn away with her dagger. Eventually a pair of voices nearby caught her attention. Gothel turned discretely to see the Stabbington Brothers- a pair of dastardly twins- sitting only a few seats away from her at the bar.

"I'm telling you, Rider's aboard that ship." One of the brothers grumbled to the other.

"Why would he risk a stunt like that while aboard such a renowned vessel? Even Rider's not that stupid." The other hissed in response.

"I'm telling you, he's on the _Legacy. _So's Aladdin! And they have the lost princess's crown with them."

"Even if that's true, how are we supposed to catch 'em? Our ship isn't nearly fit enough to match the _Legacy._"

Gothel got up and walked over to the brothers now, standing between them. "Maybe if someone were to offer some financial aid? In return for passage, of course."

They both looked at her suspiciously.

"What would a lady like you want with the _Legacy? _" The one to her left asked.

"Are you after the crown, too? We're not splitting profit with anyone." The one on her right growled.

She chuckled airily. "No, no, dears, I'm after something much more valuable. See, it seems this _Rider _person stole not only your crown, but my daughter as well. I'll pay you handsomely to take me along and bring her and the crown back. And I'll allow you to deal with Rider in whatever way you see fit." She smugly crossed her arms and watched the brothers think it over. "Sound like a deal?"

The Stabbington brothers shared a look, but Gothel was fairly sure she already knew their answer. Finally, they both looked up at her and nodded.


	7. An Unexpected Detour

_**Atlantis...**_

Hook looked on in complete disinterest as his crew tore apart the King's city. Atlanteans- the true, pure-blooded citizens, not the human refugees that they permitted to immigrate from Earth all those years ago- were running wild with panic, trying to protect their homes and their loved ones from the pirates. But they denied themselves an escape because they stubbornly refused to flee their precious city. Some Atlantean troops fought valiantly to protect their people, but it was impossible for their ancient weapons to match up to what lay in the _Jolly Roger's _armory. In a matter of days, Hook's crew had ravaged the surrounding lands and human villages, reached the hidden city where the real Atlanteans hid, and overruled it. At this rate, the planet would be an ember by the time the _Legacy _found it.

That didn't matter to Hook. Regardless of what condition the planet would be in when Amelia and her crew would arrive, he planned to ambush the ship and steal back his sprite. Though, with Vidia hostage, he figured Tinkerbell would come along without a fight.

He turned from the view of the city to watch King Kashekim still refusing to tell Rourke anything, despite the brutal beating his silence awarded him. The old man was tough, Hook had to admit. Hook remained stoic and resigned as the barbaric interrogation continued. He was allowing Rourke and Helga their moment to shine, since they were the ones who wanted this mysterious treasure so badly. He was playing the part of a neutral third party for now.

Rourke was starting to grow irritated with Kashekim's lack of cooperation. "Come on, old King Kohl. Let us in on the secret, huh?" He reached down and gripped the king by the shoulders, hefting him up and tossing him through the air. The king's frail body cracked against the stone floor, bounced once, and slid away toward his throne. Rourke stomped toward him.

Kashekim's young daughter- well, she _looked _young, at least- struggled violently to get out of Gaston's grip and run to her father's aid. Despite her efforts, there was no way for her to escape Gaston's iron-like grip. (Hook had hired Gaston for good reason. Sure, he was an embecil. But he was also a meta-human with strength that had so far been unmatched by any of their opponents. He was more brawn than brain, which made him the perfect lackey.) Still, her constant squirming and screaming in both Atlantean and English were wearing on Hook's nerves.

Hook turned sharply toward Gaston, then to Clayton, a poacher who he'd recruited some time ago. "You two take her deep into the jungle and shoot her."

Clayton nodded obediently and turned to leave the temple, with Gaston dragging the enraged princess along behind him. Hook turned back in time to see Rourke giving the king a solid punch in the stomach. The old man crumpled to the ground with a deep groan. Hook could tell that the hit had been hard enough to cause internal bleeding. Kashekim wouldn't last long now. Hopefully Rourke would get an answer before the king faded away.

"Tell us where the treasure is, and maybe we'll spare that pretty daughter of yours..." Rourke growled,lifting the old man up and dropping him into his throne. Rourke pulled out his gun and aimed it between Kashekim's milky eyes. "I'm running out of patience. I guess we have to do things the hard way. I'm going to count to ten, and if you don't tell me where the treasure is by then, I'll shoot." He cocked the gun. "One... Two..."

No reaction.

Rourke sighed. "_Nine... T-_"

He was cut off when he noticed the reflection in the king's blind eyes. He paused for a moment, then turned warily around to look at the floor of the king's chamber, which was really just a pond with wide, flat stepping stones reaching from the throne to the door. In the center of the pond, engraved in an old stone panel under the water's surface, Rourke spied the same symbol that decorated the cover of the _Shepherd's Journal. _He remembered a line from that little book, which he'd had translated so many years ago.

"_'The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of Her King'..._" Rourke mumbled, his eyes lighting up. "That's it!" He put his gun away and marched into the water. Helga, Hook, Hades, Eris, Jafar, Maleficent and Grimhilde joined him on the panel in the center while a few other pirates stood guard. Under their weight, the old rock shifted and trembled, starting to sink downward. The water fell with it, spiraling and flowing downward like it was going down a drain.

They all stood clustered together as the stone floated downward into a dark, rocky cavern, with iridescent blue light dancing over every surface from a mysterious source in the center of the place, hovering in mid-air high above a large pool of black water. They drifted through the open air as if they were standing on a feather, until the round platform settled into a circular pocket in the ground below, fitting like a puzzle piece. They cautiously stepped off the platform and walked toward the water. Upon closer inspection of the floating light source, they stood in awe, unsure of exactly what they were seeing, but knowing that it was exactly what they came for.

Rourke grinned. "Jackpot."

_**In The Jungle...**_

Gaston wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, but he figured they were a safe enough distance from the city. He dragged the princess to a halt and threw her to the ground. In an instant, Clayton had his shotgun trained on her head. She crouched there, glowering up at the both of them with her intense blue eyes. Her white hair was in a disarray, some thick strands hanging over her face, in stark contrast with her richly-colored skin. Gaston smirked at her wild appearance. Savage as she was, there was something undoubtedly _attractive _about the princess. Now he was glad he'd never learned her name; otherwise, killing her might have been an irksome task. It really was a shame to waste such a pretty thing, though.

Clayton noticed how Gaston was ogling the princess and rolled his eyes. "Oh, for goodness' sake, man. Are you being serious? She's a savage!"

Gaston turned to Clayton and shrugged. "I take it where I can get it."

"Well, we don't have time for that right now." Clayton snapped. "We have to-" He turned back toward the princess and froze, seeing that she had vanished. "How on earth-?"

A battle-cry rang out overhead and they both looked up to see the princess swooping down on them from the trees. Both men received a kick to the face, knocking them both over with surprising force. She was a slim thing, but quite fit and strong. Built to fight, or at least hunt. She landed hard on Clayton's chest, knocking the wind out of him and cracking a few ribs. She used both hands to wrench the shotgun out of his grip and took off sprinting into the jungle without looking back.

She heard the men shouting and running after her, and a few shots ringing out from their spare guns, but she kept running without fear. She was out of their sight, and she knew this jungle like the back of her hand while they were stumbling around in the foreign terrain. They'd never find her out here as long as she kept her wits about her. She only hoped that she'd never have to figure out how this strange weapon worked...

_**The Legacy...**_

"Have you lost your mind?" Aladdin hissed at Flynn, who was watching Rapunzel climb around with Rat and Mowgli.

"I think I must be, to be in this line of work." Flynn grumbled.

"You know the Thieves' Code! You know what we're supposed to do with witnesses!"

Flynn turned toward him with a sharp glare. "Yeah, well, if you'd been in my position, would you have been able to do it?"

Aladdin's expression softened, and he looked down at his shoes. "No, probably not..."

"Exactly. So maybe we're both bad at this..." Flynn shook his head, looking back up at Rapunzel. The girl who'd caused him so much trouble. The girl who looked so at home up in the rigging, with a radiant smile and twinkling green eyes... The girl who made an unfamiliar warmth bloom in his gut every time he looked at her... Ugh, what was he thinking?! "We're not meant for this, Al... We need to finish it. Once you get the Lamp, we've proven ourselves to your father, and life will be smooth sailing. The sooner I can get away from Blondie, the better."

"You really trust her to keep this secret?" Aladdin asked doubtfully.

Flynn kept his expression guarded as he looked his best friend over. He remembered how Aladdin had been long ago, when they were kids- just a couple of orphans wreaking havoc in the streets of Montressor, before Aladdin found out who his father was and they were set on this trail to infamy. Aladdin had been so innocent, and hopeful, optimistic, trusting, unafraid... Now, he was constantly wary and worried, riddled with anxiety. The only person he could bring himself to believe in whole-heartedly was Flynn, who'd been by his side since the beginning. Flynn wasn't sure what kind of relationship Aladdin was hoping to have with his father, but he did know that it was driving Aladdin mad.

"I do." Flynn assured him. "She's a good kid... I've held up my end of the deal. She has no reason to turn on us." And for some reason, Flynn was sure she wouldn't.

Aladdin nodded, seeming more at ease.

Meanwhile, in the galley, Peter was being scolded by Audrey, who'd managed to trap Tink under a glass after a humorous bit of the protective sprite trying to pull the mechanic's hair out of her head.

Audrey adjusted her cap with a huff while Jim chuckled at her side. She glared at Peter and said, "Wendy's a nice girl, and you nearly got her hurt! Or worse!"

"Uh, me too, dude. Not cool." Jim put in unhappily.

"What were you thinking?" Audrey demanded.

Peter raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. So things didn't exactly go according to plan."

"According to plan? There was a plan?!" Audrey snapped.

Jim rolled his eyes. "There was a terrible idea, not a plan. He was going to get Wendy on the same line as him, trip her up when no one was looking, then try to swoop in and save her."

"Uh...yeah. But she went and slipped before I could get her in the right spot." Peter crossed his arms, pouting like a child.

"Are you being serious right now?" Audrey growled.

"It was lucky that Hercules was there. But really bad that my brother was. I'm not gonna be able to sleep for the rest of this trip!" Jim sighed.

Peter wore a smug expression, his brown eyes shining with utter amusement. Jim glared at him.

"Why do I put up with you?" Jim demanded.

"Because no one else will put up with you." Peter smirked.

"That's not true..." Audrey said quietly. Jim looked over at her with a small smile while Peter rolled his eyes. Tink whined unhappily from her confinement under the glass.

The ship jerked violently all of a sudden. The power flickered and the mechanics within the vessel groaned ominously.

Audrey jumped up from her seat. "I'm going down to engineering!" She ran from the galley and headed down below while Jim jogged up to the deck with most of the crew. Peter quickly grabbed Tink before running after Jim.

The ship shuddered and whined, the lights going out every few moments, then twitching back on again. Eric, Amelia, Doppler and Milo sprinted to the helm and were horrified to see the _Legacy _sailing straight toward a black hole. Eric had been in a meeting in the Captain's quarters and left the ship on auto-pilot toward Atlantis, unaware of what obstacles could lie in the way. Eric immediately took the helm and started to steer the ship away, but there wasn't much he could do to fight the currant. For the time being, he kept his eyes on the oxygen and artificial gravity controls. With the power going off and on, it was possible they could lose both.

"Evasive action, Mr. Arrow!" Amelia called down to the deck.

Mr. Arrow began to bark orders at the panicked crew and the ship was soon bustling with activity as every man, woman and child was hurrying through safety measures. Tarzan, Rat, Mowgli, Jim, Peter, Rapunzel, and John were racing to fasten the sails. Merlin, Mr. Porter, Jane and Belle were quickly ushering the younger sailors down below to safety.

Eric shouted into his comm to reach engineering. "Merida, talk to me!" He struggled to direct the ship as it was being pulled toward the black hole.

"I have an idea... But it's crazy!" She screeched in response, running around with Audrey and a few others like a madwoman.

"What is it?!" He demanded.

"It could work, but it could also severely damage the ship, or wind up gettin' us killed!" She cried.

"It don't see anyone else coming up with ideas! Whatever you've got, we have to try it!"

Merida groaned. "Okay! Well... You've gotta get the ship turned around, so her back is to the black hole!"

"Already on it!"

"Right, well, then Audrey and I have got to divert all energy to our thrusters. Hopefully, that'll give us enough power to sail out of its reach!"

"And if that doesn't work? What then?!"

"How about an extra push?" A new voice called over the ruckus.

Eric looked up to see Robin perched in front of him, brandishing a type of arrow Eric had never seen before.

"It's explosive. I''ve got a bunch of them!" Robin said. "If I fire them all into the black hole and they blow, it should help."

"Can you fire them all fast enough?" Eric asked.

"No... But Merida can help. She knows how to shoot."

"It'll be a tight turn-around after setting things up down here, but... Yeah, I think I can make it up there in time!" Merida said.

"I can hold the fort down here!" Audrey called.

"Let's do it, then!" Amelia ordered, having snuck over and heard the whole thing after helping Mr. Arrow secure loose cargo. "It's the only plan we've got, so let's pretend it's a brilliant one!"

"I've got her nearly turned around, Merida!" Eric shouted. The ship was creaking so loudly and people were yelling all around, so he had to shout to be heard.

"Okay!" She responded as she and Audrey quickly began to throw a series of switches. Then, Merida jumped on the control monitor and started to type in the absurd orders. She sighed heavily and muttered, "We're probably gonna get blown right to Hell..."

"That's not very optimistic." Adam said from right next to her.

She glared up at him, but didn't stop working. "And just what're _you _doin' here?"

"Arrow sent me down to help Audrey in your place. Direct me where to go."

Merida knew she shouldn't be surprised that Adam was being so cooperative during a deadly emergency situation, but she was any way. This was the most calm she'd ever seen him. She nodded toward where Audrey was struggling to pull down two very stiff levers.

"Pull 'em down halfway, and on my signal, throw 'em all the way down. Got it?"

Adam nodded and walked over to help Audrey. The ship jerked continually, nearly throwing Merida off her coding. Around her, she heard the engines whining and steaming profusely from the pressure both she Eric were putting on them. There were a couple of deafening pops, like gunshots, followed by the sounds of some of the engineering crew screaming.

"We're coming apart! We'll never make it like this!" Audrey shouted.

"We have to!" Merida snarled. "Don't lose focus!"

Up above, Eric noticed some alarming readings and shouted to Amelia, "Captain, the oxygen feild is starting to fade! Anyone on the deck right now is facing suffocation, especially in the rigging!"

Amelia called out over the deck, "Any person who doesn't need to be up here right now should get down below!"

"You heard the Captain! If your presence isn't needed on the deck, head below!" Mr. Arrow relayed to the crew.

Upon hearing this, Tarzan called from the mast, "Jim, Peter, Mowgli and Rapunzel! Get below deck!"

"What? I'm not leaving you up here!" Jim yelled back.

"Jim, I said get down! _Now! _" Tarzan bellowed.

Jim seemed like he would keep arguing, so Peter and Tink jumped in to coerce him downward. Jim fought with them all the while, refusing to abandon his older brother. Then, the artificial gravity gave out and everyone was scrambling to grab ahold of something to keep from drifting off into space.

Meg had been in the middle of arguing with Sinbad when they suddenly started to float off of the deck and away from each other. Meg realized she was about to go overboard and be lost in the vacuum of space. She flailed around, throwing out her arms and legs in an effort to grab onto something, but there was nothing around and she was only hastening her end. She watched as a few other crewmembers were cast overboard and screamed for help. She heard Sinbad shouting, but couldn't see him anywhere.

Miraculously, Phoebus, who was wearing a lifeline, grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She clung to him, petrified, and buried her face in his chest while he reeled them back onto the ship. He used the rope to direct them toward the stairs leading below deck and started to ease Meg downward.

"You stay below for now." He said in his most soothing tone.

Meg started to shake her head. "No, my brother, he's-"

Phoebus shifted to one side so Meg could see Sinbad perched safely on the mast, tying a lifeline around his waist. He gave Meg a reassuring smile and a wave before moving to help Rat, John, Marina, and Tarzan to once again release the sails, on Amelia's command. Phoebus floated in front of Meg once again. Sensing her fear, he cupped her face in his hands and said, "Everything is going to be alright. Wait below."

Meg slowly nodded, forcing herself to trust him. She didn't really believe his words, but she still went along with his faith. She eased herself down below deck, where everyone was getting more accustomed to the lack of gravity, and immediately felt safer. It was ridiculous, she knew that. No matter what part of the ship you were in, you were going into a black hole. But having a barrier between herself and the void made her feel infinitely better. However, her brother, sister-in-law, and lover were all still up there...

Meg's anxiety spiked when something ran into her side. She looked down to see Spike jumping up at her and whimpering unhappily. Meg tried to calm him down, but knew it was probably no use.

"Engineering! I need help with the gravity here! My controls are fried!" Eric shouted into his comm.

When Merida's voice came back to him, it was crackling and barely coherent- the comms were going, too.

"We're working on it!" She shrieked, using all her strength with a wrench while she was being carried toward the ceiling. The rest of the engineering crew was much in the same state. If the situation weren't so dire, Merida would have found it comical. She gritted her teeth as she tried to force the artificial gravity to kick back on.

On the deck, Phoebus noticed Mr. Arrow had been cast out into space, left to dangle from his lifeline. He was trying to climb the rope back to the ship, but his rough, rocky skin and heavy build were proving too much for the rope. It was starting to tear. Phoebus drifted over and gripped the rope, trying to reel Mr. Arrow back in quickly. Sweat soaked his uniform, caused by both exertion and nerves as he was watching the weak point in the rope slowly breaking. Mr. Arrow was still pulling himself along in an effort to make it aboard quickly, but Phoebus realized that it was only degrading the rope faster.

"Stop moving!" Phoebus called to him. "Just hang on! I'll-"

In an instant, the rope snapped. Mr. Arrow was being hurled into the black hole before Phoebus had time to blink. Though his dying scream was fading fast, it echoed in Phoebus' ears to a crescendo.

"_No! _" Phoebus yelled. Before he fully realized what he was doing, he leapt over the side of the ship and flew outward into the empty space, hoping to do the impossible and reach Mr. Arrow in time. But he was already gone. Phoebus hung there for awhile, totally numb. He barely registered it when his lifeline tugged at his torso. Someone was reeling him in. The time it took for Phoebus' limp body to reach the deck could have been only a few seconds or an eternity. Finally, he saw the wooden boards below his boots. He looked up to see John looking him over in obvious concern and pity. Phoebus just felt hollow and couldn't find a voice to speak.

Suddenly, the gravity was restarted and the thunderous clamor of a hundred bodies hitting the ground shook the whole ship. Sinbad and Marina were trying to get Rat untangled from his precarious bindings in the rigging. Tarzan was dragging Jim down below, despite the boy's protests.

John faced Phoebus head-on and spoke in a clear, authoritative voice. "Phoebus... You've been compromised. I think it would be best if you went below for now."

Phoebus stared up at him, obviously hurt. John gave him an apologetic look before walking toward the helm. Phoebus stood there for a moment, stunned. He wasn't sure at first that he could move. Eventually, he forced himself to march down below, feeling uncharacteristically sluggish.

"Oxygen levels are dropping fast!" Eric cried into his comm. "Merida, please tell me you're ready!" He had the ship in the right position and the hoisted sails were carrying them closer and closer to the black hole.

"Ready!" She shouted.

Eric turned to call to Robin, who was crouching on the back of the ship. "Ready?!"

"Yes!" Robin responded, notching an arrow in his bow and aiming.

Eric yelled into his comm, "Do it now!"

Merida screeched at Adam and Audrey over her shoulder, "Now!"

They threw down the levers and Merida slammed the release button. The noise that the ship made in response was indescribably unpleasant. The thrusters kicked on to maximum power, jolting the _Legacy _forward a good length. The ship didn't move far enough to escape the black hole's hold over it. The ship kept pressing forward, but it was being held in place.

"There's too much pressure!" Audrey hollered over the emergency alarm. "She's gonna blow!"

Merida jumped back to the monitor, but couldn't understand any of the readings. The screen was all buggy. Then, the lights fizzled out, leaving them all in the dark. After a moment, the back-up lights came on, flashing a dull red that temporarily disoriented them.

"Merida! What's going on down there?!" Amelia demanded, her voice barely understandable over the comm.

"We're givin' her all she's got, Captain!" Merida screeched in response.

"Merida, I need you up here! Now!" Robin cried.

"Coming!" She was already sprinting out of engineering and to her room. She grabbed her bow from her bunk and ran up to the deck. As she navigated the corridors of the trembling ship, the flashing lights made it difficult to see where she was going. After tripping a couple of times, Merida got her bearings and managed to jump over any other obstacles in her path. The ship was coming apart at the seams, and Merida took care to dodge that as well. She made her way through the crowd of people hiding out below and bounded up the stairs to the deck. She raced up to the helm and joined Robin, who handed her a bundle of the explosive arrows.

Both archers shot arrow after arrow into the black hole. It only took a moment after release for the arrows to ignite. The explosions were small at first, but as more arrows came into the mix, they grew and multiplied and grew some more. Eric could feel the explosions rocking the ship and started to push the thrusters a little harder. The ship started to inch forward.

Robin began to fire three arrows at a time into the black hole. Noticing this, Merida felt surprised...and a little inferior. She kept her focus and shot her own arrows after Robin's, aiming at the center arrows of the bundles. When her arrow would meet the center, all three would ignite along with hers. Robin nodded his head in approval of her efficient shooting. It was finally giving the ship the boost it needed. Eric was slowly moving the ship farther and farther foward, pushing the thrusters beyond their limits.

The _Legacy _was now shaking violently. Amelia could see entire panels being stripped away and sucked into the black hole. When the mast cracked and started to teeter, Amelia turned to Merida and Robin and shouted, "We have to act quickly! Just throw the whole lot in!" She ran over and started scooping up armfuls of the explosive arrows and tossing them off the back of the ship. Caught in the vacuum created by the black hole, the arrows flew right into the monstrous black void, crashing together and exploding with enough force to give the ship a good shove.

Robin and Merida slung their bows over their shoulders and followed her lead. The explosions blossomed to gargantuan size, nearly blinding them with the inferno. Tarzan, John and Sinbad joined in, and the six of them worked faster and faster, not giving the explosions a chance to ease up. All the while, Eric pushed the ship forward and Rat and Marina tried to keep control over the sails. As the ship was violently rocked back and forth, fighting against the vacuum of the black hole, the mast snapped in half and toppled over, crashing through a part of the deck and stripping away a good section of the ship with it as it was sucked backward. Thanks to the artificial gravity and the oxygen feild, no crew members were lost. But if the ship continued to fall apart at this rate, it wouldn't remain that way.

Finally, by some stroke of luck, as the last group of explosives was dumped, there was an eruption unlike any other that had come before. Eric was the only one not knocked off his feet when the blast made impact. He felt the force of it against his back, and that was the only way he could register it had really happened. There was no heat, no noise; they were in space. He gritted his teeth under the pressure and surged the ship forward. After such a long time of stagnation, the sudden speed nearly made his head spin. He was practically pinned to the helm as they shot off, far away from the black hole. Once he felt they were a safe distance away, he lowered the thrusters and called engineering to tell them to ease up the engines.

There was an eerie silence as the ship coasted onward and everyone left on board slowly processed that, in spite of the odds, they'd survived. Then, they remembered the few lives that had been lost and the silence dragged on, heavy and dismal.

Meg eventually found Phoebus, sitting on a crate of cargo, slumped over. As she slowly approached him, she felt uneasy. She'd never seen him like this before. What was wrong? Was he just tired? Or was it something worse? She soon found herself crouching in front of him. He didn't seem to know that she was there. He seemed to be trapped in his own head. He looked miserable.

"Phoebus?" She whispered, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

He peered up at her, and the look in his eyes was so intensely sad it nearly took her breath away. They stared at each other for a moment, Phoebus seeming lost while Meg patiently waited for him to say or do something.

He slowly shook his head. "Mr. Arrow... It's my fault."

"No..." Meg wanted more than anything to hug him, kiss him, do _anything _to take his mind off of it, to assure him that wasn't true.

"I couldn't save him." Phoebus hung his head again in defeat.

"Nobody could have, Phoebus."

Meg and Phoebus both looked up to see Amelia standing by them. She was remaining strong, for the crew's sake. But this was the first time she'd spoken in the last few hours. She smiled slightly at Phoebus and added, "But you put forth a valiant effort. I'll remember that." She quickly walked away before either of them could say a word.

Meg and Phoebus shared a look. She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Then, she remembered how Phoebus didn't want the crew to become suspicious of their relationship. She spotted John heading their way and felt comfortable leaving Phoebus with him. She got up and left to find her family. Phoebus didn't watch her go.

Amelia walked back up to the helm, where Eric, Doppler, Mr. Porter, Milo, Merlin, Merida and Robin were. Eric was trying to figure out a new course for them while the others were chattering about the condition of the ship.

"We've taken as much pressure off the engines as we can, but they refuse to cool down." Merida was explaining. "The ship's not healthy. I'm not sure how long she can last without repairs."

"I'm not sure how long _we _can last." Robin added. "On top of the ship being wrecked, the crew's in rough shape." He noticed Amelia approaching and addressed her now, turning everyone's attention to the Captain. "We need to make a stop, Amelia."

Amelia quietly scoffed. She shook her head as she looked the deck over. "We don't have enough time..."

"That's right, we can't make a stop right now. Atlantis needs us!" Milo put in worriedly.

"They need a crew and a ship that's actually fit to fight those pirates." Merlin remarked, stroking his beard in thought.

"Hook won't just wait around for us to get there before he destroys the planet!" Milo snapped. "If we stop now, we'll be too late to help those people!"

"Mr. Thatch, please calm down..." Mr. Porter mumbled.

"Mr. Thatch, we understand your concerns, but we just don't have any other choice!" Dr. Doppler argued. "We just have to hope we can get the necessary parts and team to fix the ship as quickly as possible. We only need to give the crew a little bit of time to recuperate."

"If we could find someone to get it done in less than a day..." Robin thought aloud.

"With what money?" Amelia asked. "We've not nearly enough to pay for such an efficient job."

Robin shrugged. "We trade. Barter. Whatever we need to do to make up the cost."

Amelia's expression was doubtful and full of concern. She furrowed her brow in deep thought for a moment while the others continued to theorize and bicker. Then, suddenly, an idea came to her and her face lit up. "Brilliant..."

"What's that, Captain?" Merlin asked.

She smiled at them. "I think I know someone who can help." She looked at Eric now. "I believe that Agrabah is the nearest planet, correct?'

"The desert planet?" Eric thought on it for a moment, checking his maps. Then, he nodded. "Yes."

"Right, then. Head there straight away. We're making one short pit-stop, and we're off again. We haven't got a moment to lose."

Eric quickly entered the coordinates and immediately plotted a course. "Aye, Captain."

_**Atlantis...**_

Hook was growing bored as he watched Rourke continue to torment the old King, who was so near death that he didn't seem to feel or care about any pain Rourke tried to inflict. He was amazed that Kashekim had held on this long; it had been over an hour since they'd discovered the Heart of Atlantis.

"Tell me how to move it!" Rourke growled, obviously frustrated. "Spit it out! It's not like you have anything left to live for!"

To his surprise, the ancient Atlantean started to laugh. When he did, he started coughing up blood, hacking and wheezing. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and gravelly.

"You...are a fool...to try and control something so...dangerous. I will die...knowing that you...will never be able to harness its power. It can only be activated by one of my kind. An Atlantean of pure and royal blood."

"Royal, huh?" Rourke smirked.

"No, it will not accept me. Only someone young and strong, someone much more virile than myself..." He chuckled lowly, and Rourke saw tears in his eyes. "Kidagakash was my only child... After her mother passed...I never remarried. There is no other. She is the last of the Atlantean royalty. Kida is the key to the Heart of Atlantis..." He grinned ruefully at Rourke. "And your Captain sent her into the jungle to be executed."

Hook raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had thought the old man was too busy being beaten to notice when the princess was taken. He hadn't even put up a fight or said a word for his daughter... Of course. Kashekim remained silent on purpose. He allowed them to take Kida away to protect the Heart. What a clever, cold old man. Of course, the girl must have been in on it too. All her struggling had been a show.

King Kashekim's mocking laughter slowly faded away into a fit of coughing, until all the noise eventually subsided and his body fell still. Rourke watched the life drain from his eyes.

Rourke growled and stood up, storming away from the dead King. "Now what do we do?!"

Gaston and Clayton reappeared now, both bearing nasty bruises on their faces. Clayton leaned on a wall for support; his cracked ribs made it hard for him to stand upright, and Gaston had refused to help him walk back through the jungle.

"What the hell happened to you?" Helga asked them.

"The damn girl...got away from us." Clayton winced as he slowly sat down. "Someone bring Ursula to me... I need a medic."

Grimhilde left to find Ursula while Rourke and Helga continued questioning Gaston and Clayton.

"She's alive?" Rourke demanded.

Gaston grunted. "Yes. She was too quick. She's in the jungle somewhere with Clayton's favorite shotgun."

"It isn't our fault, you know. That savage girl nearly killed us." Clayton muttered.

"I think this one time, I'll let it slip." Hook stated. "The pair of you actually haven't screwed up as badly as you usually do."

Helga smirked at Rourke. "I guess there is hope, after all."

_**Agrabah...**_

This planet was a larger one, made entirely of sandy dunes, sweltering winds, blinding sun, and the occasional oasis- if you were lucky enough to stumble upon one. It was easy enough to get lost in the vast deserts if you weren't a native; plenty of explorers had been lost to the burning sands, or simply lost their minds after a few days wandering about, chasing mirages. It was not a friendly environment; the population was made up mostly of Reptiles- a species that was cold-blooded and had thick, scaly skin that made Agrabah's conditions bearable for them. them They also sported claws, sharpened teeth, slitted pupils, and the occasional forked tongue. Some even had tails.

There were a few humans- refugees from Earth, mostly of some middle-eastern descent. A lot of the families hadn't survived. To be a human living on this planet, you had to be exceptionally tough. Or, you could just be a member of the royal family- a human clan that had usurped the government centuries ago and lived a pampered lifestyle.

It should go without saying that tensions between species also ran very high on Agrabah. The intense heat only heightened the violent prejudices the coursed through the civilians.

The port was nowhere near the bazaar that Amelia was seeking, so she called in an emergency favor to the Sultan, asking for permission to fly in low. He was a funny old man, short and round and incredibly cheerful- nothing like the vicious tyrants that were his ancestors- and allowed it without much thought. He was quite jolly, Amelia noted. This was good. The last Sultan, who she assumed had been this man's very elderly father, had been a bit of a problem for her. But this man seemed like he'd be much easier to get along with.

Eric brought the _Legacy _in over the bazaar and stopped, letting the ship hover above a larger, darker tent on the outskirts of the large market. Amelia, John and Phoebus climbed down to speak momentarily with the owners of the rural mechanic shop. After about ten minutes of bartering/arguing, a deal was made and the three of them came back aboard. Amelia directed Eric to bring the ship down behind the shop and park it in their private bay. Eric didn't like the idea of leaving the ship sitting out under the desert sun, but it was the only option for the mechanics out here. They didn't have the luxury of a modernized detailing shop with high-tech equipment and air-conditioning. All they had were their old tools and a lot of will power.

Amelia advised the crew to dress lightly, but stay covered up to avoid a third-degree sunburn while they explored the bazaar for a few hours. She also encouraged them all to spread the word that they were recruiting new crew members, since some had been lost to the black hole. She, John, Phoebus, and Eric stayed in the mechanics' tent to keep an eye on things.

"I should have it over with quickly." Aladdin whispered to Flynn once they found a more secluded spot to talk.

Flynn nodded. "Find a place to lay low until I call you. We don't want you and the Lamp hanging around before the ship can leave this place."

"I don't see why we can't both just stay here and ditch the _Legacy._"

"It'll take forever to try to get our own transportation to find your dad's hideout. Or, the Sultan's guards could come after us. We won't stand a chance on foot. We need to get back on the ship safely, take off from here before anyone realizes the Lamp is gone. Then, we can use one of the holophones to call your dad. He'll send us the coordinates to his hideout, which is probably on the opposite side of this planet in some oasis paradise, and we'll commandeer an escape pod before anyone knows what hit 'em." Flynn looked positively smug about his plan as he explained it all to Aladdin. He clapped a hand on his friend's back. "Got it?"

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah..."

"I'll cover you. Be quick. Lay low. And keep an eye on your watch."

Aladdin slipped sway down an alley while Flynn walked away to join the others before they could get suspicious. He was caught off-guard when the first person he ran into was Rapunzel, who'd made friends with the Porters, Belle, Hercules and Alice- the ship's goody-goodies.

"Oh, hi, Flynn!" She greeted him cheerfully, her green eyes lit up with excitement.

"Hey..." He muttered.

"We were just going to take a look around the shops and take notes for the ship's log. Wanna come along?" She asked him.

He was a little surprised that she was inviting him along. He also didn't really want to at all. But, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say no. He nodded. "Sure. Sounds, uh...fun." What the hell was he doing?

"Great!" She smiled genuinely up at him. His stomach felt like it was doing flips when he saw her so happy.

_Seriously, what's wrong with me? _He thought.

Back in the mechanics' tent, Amelia turned to John and said, "Why don't you remain here with Eric while Phoebus and I prepare to interview new crew members? We'll just be in front of the tent."

John nodded in agreement. He saw Phoebus looking slightly nervous and offered him a reassuring look. Mr. Arrow was one of Captain Amelia's only friends, one of the few people she trusted completely. He'd been very near and dear to her, and Phoebus was still blaming himself for his horrible death. John didn't blame him for not wanting to be left alone with Amelia right now. But, first and foremost, they all had a job to do. Mr. Arrow would be missed, but the real mourning would have to come later. For now, they had to move on.

It would be the hardest for Phoebus, of course. John couldn't imagine what he was going through. He pitied his friend and hoped that eventually he'd snap out of it. Phoebus was supposed to take up Mr. Arrow's position in the event of his passing. But, Phoebus' turmoil forced him to pass the job along to John. John knew he wasn't prepared for it- he didn't even _want _it- but there was no other choice.

John and Eric watched as Phoebus followed Amelia away, then shared a discrete look.

_**About An Hour Later...**_

Aladdin knew he'd be waiting awhile for Flynn's call. He was tempted to do some exploring, but he knew that he couldn't leave his hiding spot now, with the Lamp on him. A strange man just waltzing around the bazaar would definitely invite suspicion. He couldn't afford to have run-in with the authorities right now... Besides, he didn't have any currency with him, so he couldn't buy anything.

He sat in the shadows, watching the people in the bazaar for entertainment. The market was very large, and he was in a different part of it than the rest of the crew. Occasionally he saw someone he recognized pass by, but it was only for a moment. He'd tucked himself away in the seedier part of the bazaar for a reason.

His attention was caught by a petite form wrapped up in a brown cloak, completely concealing the face. He watched the person move quickly and gracefully on tiny, bare feet, easily moving through the crowd without touching or being noticed by anyone else. After a moment, Aladdin could tell that it was a woman under that cloak, but he couldn't tell much else. His interest was piqued now. His eyes were focused attentively on the girl as she swept through the market like a ghost.

She paused when she noticed a young boy dressed in rags and caked with dust and grime. He was looking longingly at a fruit cart nearby. The girl quickly looked around before sneaking over to snag an apple for him- an alien variant unlike any apple Aladdin had ever seen. Truthfully, it probably wasn't an apple, but it resembled one more than any other fruit that came to mind. Aladdin smirked as he watched her successfully deliver the stolen fruit to the boy, then usher him away. The little boy grinned thankfully up at her and ran off, while she slinked away the opposite direction, unseen.

Aladdin grinned. That little boy kind of reminded him of himself when he was younger, though he had a much stronger moral compass than Aladdin did. If Aladdin had been in his place, he would have just stolen the food himself; he'd had no choice as a kid. He didn't have a nice lady there to look out for him...

Suddenly feeling very intrigued, Aladdin decided to follow her. For some reason, he really wanted to meet this woman. He snuck out of his hiding spot, keeping his bag out of immediate view, and moved silently after her. He was careful when tailing her, not wanting to tip any one else off or be spotted by her. But, as careful and elusive as she'd seemed in the bazaar, she didn't seem too aware of her surroundings now. She moved through these shaded alleys like she owned the place, paying no mind to any of the thugs or mumbling bums lurking around. Granted, they didn't seem to notice her, either.

Aladdin paused behind a dumpster when the girl stopped next to a decrepit old building. He waited curiously to see what she would do next. Then, he was astounded when she started to scale the side of the building with ease. She was either a very strong, very skilled rock-climber, or a lizard hybrid. Aladdin had to figure it was the latter; the girl was so dainty and light-footed, he didn't figure she spent a lot of time teaching herself to climb buildings. Then again, if she was a street kid like he'd been, maybe she'd had no choice but to learn. She probably slept on rooftops most nights, freezing in the desert air even with that cloak.

Aladdin waited until she reached the top of the building before heading after her. When he reached the crumbling wall, he noticed something up-close that had been invisible to him before; little nooks and cracks in the stone, acting as foot and hand-holds. That was how she'd climbed up. He smirked up toward the roof before following her lead.

Once on the roof, he ducked behind a broken-down A/C unit. He peeked around the corner of it to see the girl lifting up a long, thin wooden beam. His heart started to race as he realized what she was about to do; he'd done this old trick a million times himself. But it still made him feel uneasy. His whole body tensed as she ran toward the edge of the rooftop and used the beam to vault into the air. He jumped up to watch her sail over to the next roof and land safely on her feet. She scurried away, leaving him stunned. Who _was _this girl?

Aladdin quickly grabbed another beam and mimicked her movement, his stomach plunging as he flew across to the other roof. He landed safely, but not as gracefully as she had. He carefully set the beam down, then looked around to see that she'd vanished. For a moment, he was disappointed.

"It's not polite to follow people around."

He jumped and looked around again, but the voice seemed to have come from nowhete. He frowned. Then, she climbed up from where she'd been hanging from the edge of the roof, out of his sight. She stood there with her hands on her hips and smirked at his shocked expression.

Aladdin quickly collected himself and looked smugly back at her. "Yeah, well, stealing isn't very nice, either."

She looked taken aback for a few seconds, then sighed and reached up to pull back her hood that shielded her face. When her hands were raised, Aladdin noticed that her fingernails were unnaturally long and slightly curved, and black like claws. Glancing down at her bare feet, he realized that her toenails looked similar. But that was the only observable abnormality on her. Her skin was smooth and tan, her almond-shaped eyes were the color of amber, her hair was very long and thick, cascading down her back like a black waterfall. She was beautiful. Aladdin couldn't help likening her to a goddess. But under her cloak, she was dressed in plain, old, dirty clothes that clung to her wiry frame. She was tiny and thin, but undoubtedly strong. Those claws must not have been a huge help in climbing, after all; She'd obviously built some muscle over the years. Most peculiar, though, was her face, which was painted with what looked like black grease paint, in a peculiar pattern that kept her dominant features fairly hidden. Obviously, she didn't want to be easily recognized.

"I guess you want to turn me in, huh?" She asked flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aladdin gave her a playful look. "Why would I want to do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "For the bounty on my head? What other reason could you have for following me this far?"

"Well, I didn't even know about the bounty. But now that you mention it..." He stroked his chin in thought.

She immediately looked ready to run.

Aladdin laughed and held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Kidding. I'm kidding."

She narrowed her eyes at him, obviously not pleased by the joke. Also, she was still suspicious. "Then why are you here?"

He shrugged. "I just thought what you did back there was nice and wanted to meet you."

She raised one eyebrow.

He sighed. "Listen, I know what you and that kid are going through, and... Well, just keep doing what your doing. Look out for each other. It's tough, but... Once you find someone you can trust, it gets a little easier."

Her expression softened as his words sank in. "Oh... Well... Thank you."

He nodded, then started to turn away. "I guess I'll leave you alone now..."

"No, wait..." She called meekly.

Aladdin turned back to her with a questioning expression. She seemed surprised by her own outburst. She stood there for a moment, gawking at him. Then she said, "You come all this way to meet me, but don't even ask for my name?"

Aladdin chuckled and took a few steps toward her now. "Alright... What's your name?"

"It's, um... It's Jazz." She said, raising her head high.

"Jazz, huh? Well, I'm Aladdin. You can call me Al." He held out his hand for her to shake.

She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and gently taking his hand in hers, minding her claws. They'd obviously caused her some trouble with people in the past. Aladdin couldn't help being curious. Jazz noticed him staring at them and ducked her head shamefully, pulling her hand out of his grasp and stepping back. Aladdin immediately felt an absence within him when she drew back; it was a sharp feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he was immediately alert.

"So, uh..." He nodded toward her claws, seeking a distraction from the harsh, empty feeling. "What's the story there?"

Jazz looked up at him cautiously, and for a moment he was afraid he'd struck a nerve and scared her off. He opened his mouth to start apologizing, but to his surprise, she was already explaining.

"My great-grandmother on my mother's side was a native of this planet. The only full-blooded Reptile to be a part of our family. Relations between the Reptiles and the humans on this planet aren't exactly forbidden by law, but by pride. My father's side is completely human. But because of my mother's blood, I am a hybrid, like she was."

"Was?" Aladdin asked softly.

"She died years ago. Illness." Jazz replied bluntly.

"I'm sorry... I lost my parents, too."

She looked him over curiously. "Where do you come from?"

"Well, I was actually born here. But when I was about a year old, we moved to Montressor. That's where I've lived ever since..."

"And what are you doing here now?"

"I came here on a ship. I'm a sailor."

Her eyes lit up. "A sailor?"

He nodded.

"Like an explorer?" She asked.

He nodded again. "Exactly. We were searching for Atlantis when we were almost sucked into a black hole. We're here for repairs."

"A black hole? How exciting... But... Atlantis?"

"Yeah, pretty wild, right?"

"Very wild! No one ever travels there. And, if they do find it, they never leave."

"We're answering a distress call. Pirates have taken over." Aladdin wasn't sure if he was actually allowed to be revealing this much to a civilian, but he had actually captured the girl's attention and he didn't want to just lose her now.

"You seem like you aren't scared at all." Jazz mused.

He shrugged. "I'm not really scared of pirates."

She smirked. "If pirates and black holes don't scare you, I can't help but wonder what does."

He grinned in response. Then, his face became more serious. "How does a nice girl like you wind up with a bounty on her head?"

Her face fell and she turned away slightly. Aladdin quickly reached out to grab her arm. His grip was surprisingly gentle, but she still looked alarmed.

"I'm not judging you. I'm just...concerned." He said sincerely. He released her and crossed his arms.

She watched him for a moment, then shrugged. "I've been at this for a few years... At some point, I caught the wrong person's attention."

"Which is why you paint your face and wear that big cloak in this heat?"

She nodded in response.

"You seem like kind of an expert for someone who's only been at this a few years. What started it?" He asked.

"I ran away from home..." She said quietly. "I felt...trapped. We were very poor. My father insisted that I needed to marry someone rich. He was trying to sell me off to the highest bidder, but none of the men who came calling actually loved me. They didn't even want to breed with me, because of my 'tainted blood'. In fact, a few of them were already married. They just wanted me for..." She trailed off, unable to continue.

"I'm so sorry." Aladdin whispered, sadness filling his eyes.

"I don't need pity." Jazz said defensively. "Or your concern, for that matter."

"No, what you need is an escape. There has to be another option for you aside from being an outlaw or someone's plaything."

"Like what?"

"How about adventurer?"

Her eyebrows skyrocketed. "What, me? A sailor? Oh, no..."

"We lost a few crewmembers. We're recruiting today. You should join up."

She shook her head. "I don't think I'd do much good aboard a ship. I've never done an honest day's work in my life! There's no way your Captain would allow a criminal to join the crew..."

"She doesn't have to know you're a criminal. You wear a disguise any way, right? No one would be able to identify you."

Jazz bit her lip. "It's true... No one here even knows my name..." She noticed Aladdin's triumphant look and shook her head, groaning. "No, I couldn't possibly..."

"Jazz. I'm offering you an escape. _Freedom._" He was practically pleading with her now, and she felt it tearing at her heart. "Just promise to think about it. We leave in a few hours." He turned and started to walk toward the edge of the rooftop.

"You're leaving?" She called after him.

Aladdin had noticed his holophone blinking at him and had to get away to answer Flynn's message. He turned to grin at her and replied, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you later!" He turned away and started to climb down the maintenance ladder on the side of the building.

Jazz jogged over to see him reaching the ground safely. He smiled up at her from the alley and waved good-bye before running off. Jazz watched him go, feeling like something important was going away with him. She felt like a silly girl for having to tell herself that she was just worried that she was watching her first- and probably only- chance at freedom running away. But even her logical brain couldn't convince her that there wasn't something more. She shook her head. She had a lot to think about.

But for now, she had to go home.

_**At The Sultan's Palace...**_

Jazz knew the secret tunnels running under the palace like the back of her hand. They were what made it possible for her to sneak in and out of the heavily-guarded palace in broad daylight. At some point, night trips through her window were no longer enough. And these tunnels were rarely used any more.

She kept walking until she reached a small hole in the wall and ducked into it. She crawled through the mucky crevice for awhile, having to shimmy sideways at some points because the path got too tight. Then, she came to the spot where there was an opening above her and started to climb upward through the cramped space. It was a good thing that she was so tiny, and that she wasn't claustrophobic. Finally, she reached above her head and her hands felt something wooden. She carefully used both hands to move the old crate aside and pulled herself up into a large, brightly-lit closet with white walls and gilded trimmings. The walk-in closet was filled to the brim with the finest clothing, shoes and jewels a girl could ask for. Jazz stood up and jumped onto a towel that lay nearby to avoid leaving filthy footprints on the plush white carpet. Then she pushed the widen crate back over the opening in the floor to hide it.

She shuffled toward the closet door and peeked out to make sure no one was in the grand bedroom, then used the towel to slide across the room to the adjoined bathroom. She shut and locked the bathroom door and started running herself a warm bath. Just before jumping into the tub, she rinsed the grime out of the towel as best as she could before dumping it in the hamper. Then she sank into the tub and began to scrub away the marks of adventure that had collected on her skin throughout the day.

See, not everything she'd told Aladdin earlier was completely true. Her name wasn't actually Jazz- she'd come up with that on the spot. The truth was that she was Princess Jasmine, the only child of the Sultan, and not a child of the streets. What _was_ true was that she felt trapped within the palace walls, because she was being forced into marriage by her father. True, it wasn't for others' money, but so the Sultan could feel secure about her future and be assured that she married a man who would make a good successor for him. Although, it was true that none of her suitors really loved her (and that some of them were already married and just looking for a mistress). They just wanted her father's power and wealth. No man actually looked at her, a _hybrid, _and thought she'd make a suitable wife, regardless of her royalty. She was just some exotic trophy to them. A _prize. _It was like a game to see who could bag the freak princess and cash in on the Sultan's position. Well, Jasmine refused to be a pawn in her own life. She'd turned away every man who called on her, causing her doting father much stress.

As for the double-life and the thieving? Jasmine was always looking for an excuse to leave the palace, because she was rarely allowed to unless she was being paraded around, and definitely not without a body guard. She was always intrigued by the common people, always watching the commotion in the bazaar with such longing. What finally drew her out was witnessing how harshly the poorer people were treated. "Street rats", they were called. She'd brought it to her father's attention a few times. The Sultan was a kind, caring man who wanted to help his people, but he was also out of touch and didn't have the time. Jasmine realized that the less fortunate needed someone there to look out for them. But she couldn't do it as the Princess Jasmine. So, she started sneaking out. When her first disguise started catching attention, she came up with a few others that covered her more completely. She totally blended into the crowd, helping humans and Reptiles and hybrids alike.

She'd never really taken the time to worry about what would happen if she got caught. Sure, there was a bounty on her head. But, once they realized who their outlaw really was, what would they do? Arrest her? Execute her? Not likely. There would probably be an uproar if she was let off and held above the law, but she knew her father would never allow anything to happen to her. If anything, Jasmine hoped that if she got caught and all of Agrabah learned her true identity, they'd realize that their future ruler really does care for them and that everyone is better off working together and helping each other instead of allowing silly old prejudices to seperate them. A part of her secretly wished to be caught.

But, she knew that it was probably not going to happen. Where was this road she was on really leading? Jasmine couldn't help feeling hopeless as she watched the world around her refuse to change. Maybe what she needed was to visit other places and gain experience around the galaxy before she could help her own people. Jasmine couldn't help seriously considering Aladdin's offer...

As much as Jasmine fantasized about the freedom to travel wherever she wanted, she did relish coming home to a nice bath and a warm bed. Feeling her tense muscles finally relax and her skin smelling of jasmine blossoms, she sighed and pulled up the bath plug, massaging her sore legs and arms as the water drained away. Then, she climbed out of the tub and found a fresh towel to dry herself off. She took extra care drying her hair, which would remain damp no matter what she did any way. She wrapped her hair up in the towel and piled it on top of her head, and quickly examined herself in the mirror to make sure she'd removed every trace of face paint and dirt. Then, she pulled on one of her silk robes and strolled out to her room, where a servant girl was waiting with her pet, Rajah.

Jasmine immediately smiled and kneeled down, opening her arms for the animal to come to her. Rajah was a rather large mutated tiger that her father had gifted her years ago; the Sultan had had him imported (rescued, really) from the nuclear wasteland of Earth when he was just a cub. Now he was fully grown and quite the body guard, far more competent than any of the palace guards. But, he was really just a big softie. Rajah purred and leaned into her, prompting her to wrap her slim arms around his neck and give him a hug.

The servant looked slightly amused, but also annoyed. Jasmine could already tell she was in trouble.

"Princess Jasmine, where have you been? We were looking for you everywhere." The servant asked.

Jasmine put on a face of innocence. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just taking a walk around the palace. And I was in the library for a while earlier."

"Well, I'm sure your father will be glad to hear that you missed your meeting with Achmed to wander around." The servant said sarcastically.

"Oh, was my meeting with Achmed today? I guess I forgot..." That was a lie. Of course Jasmine knew she was supposed to meet with her latest suitor today. And she'd been dreading it, so she skipped out on purpose.

"Well, he's gone now. And quite angry. But he said he'd be back tomorrow."

"That's nice." Jasmine said in a bored tone.

"Meanwhile, your father wants to speak to you."

Jasmine pulled a face. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

The servant smirked. "Not trouble, Princess... He's just worried, you know."

"Right." Jasmine patted Rajah's head and stood up. "Well, I can't face my father without my mask on. Help me with my makeup, please."

After nearly an hour of primping and styling, Jasmine left her room and was escorted by a team of guards to her father's study. The guards stopped outside the door and closed it after she entered. The Sultan didn't notice right away that she was there. He was busy fiddling with some little figures at his desk. Jasmine smirked a little at her father's childish nature and cleared her throat, catching his attention. He turned to her.

"Ah! And where have you been, my dear?" He asked, walking away from his desk and giving her a quick hug, which she had to bend down to reciprocate because he was so short.

Jasmine giggled. "Oh, just roaming the halls... I was just told that I missed my meeting with Achmed. I'm sorry, father, it must have slipped my mind."

He gave her a knowing look. "Right..." His expression became more serious and he gestured for her to come sit with him on the balcony. She obliged and he continued. "I'm afraid that we must have a serious discussion regarding that subject, my dear."

"What's wrong, father?"

"Well, Jasmine, there's no easy way to put it. You've turned away every suitor before, and I fear that Achmed may be the last one to come calling. I understand your feelings about marriage, but you must put your people first. The kingdom needs a suitable ruler. And you know the people won't stand for you taking the throne for your own..."

"Because I'm a woman." Jasmine huffed, crossing her arms.

"You know this isn't a very progressive planet we're living on. And the law- and tradition- dictate that-"

"Father, the laws and traditions are ridiculous!"

"But they are what's preserving the culture of this planet!" He snapped.

Jasmine bit her tongue. She knew how important that was to her father. His love for her hybrid mother led to his sympathy for the other hybrids and the Reptiles who were overthrown by the human refugees who later proved to be invaders. It was the thing that set him apart from past Sultans, and made the human residents of Agrabah dislike him.

Her father sighed. "Jasmine... You have a responsibility to the citizens of Agrabah. And it is for this reason that I will have to insist that you marry Achmed." Seeing her hurt expression, he tried to placate her. "I'm sorry, but I do believe that, in time, you'll realize that this is for the best."

Jasmine shook her head, jumped up and ran off. Sultan sighed as he heard her slam his study door on her way out. He did regret that things had to be this way. He did worry for his daughter's happiness, and sometimes wished he could just change the law and do what was best for her. But really...what choice did he have?

_**About An Hour Later...**_

Amelia sighed deeply as she massaged her temples. "Is there anyone else, Phoebus?"

Phoebus shook his head. "No more to interview, Captain."

"Let's decide from who we've already got, then..." She reached over to the sign up list and scanned the names with tired eyes.

"To be honest, Captain... I think it would be a mistake to hire any one of them. It's just a group of dim-wits and cutthroats."

"Yes... I suppose allowing any of them aboard would prove disastrous." She glanced toward the horizon. "Well, the sun's going down. We can't put it off any more. Let's prepare to launch."

"Sorry to interrupt..."

Amelia and Phoebus looked up curiously to see a young woman standing in front of them, dressed like a peasant, with bare feet and a brown cloak. She pulled back her hood slightly so they could look into her eyes, while most of her face was concealed by black paint. The girl smiled a little, holding up the tiny knapsack that she called her luggage.

"I heard you were recruiting new sailors? Aladdin already briefed me on the Atlantis mission. I want to help." She explained.

Amelia leaned forward, obviously interested. "I see... And what is your name?"

The girl smirked. "Jazz. My name is Jazz."

_**The Jolly Roger...**_

Vanessa wasn't sure what it was that brought her to this hell-hole of a ship. Well, that wasn't true. She knew it was her mother's fault she was here. But she wondered sometimes just what possessed Ursula to join a crew of pirates with her young daughter in tow. Vanessa was 8 years old when she was first dragged aboard the _Jolly Roger. _That was 10 years ago. So why was she still here?

She had nowhere else to go.

She'd spent most of her life depending on these crazy people to survive; everything she knew, she'd learned from them. She'd taken all their abuse over the years, and now she was just numb. She didn't care what happened to her at this point. That was probably the real reason she stayed. She was too indifferent to seek a new life away from all of this. And, whether she liked it or not, this crew was all she had.

Her heeled boots clicked across the floorboards as she strolled along the deck. She popped her purple bubblegum over and over out of pure boredom as she approached the only person on this ship she could stand- Sadira.

Sadira had come aboard the ship in much the same fashion as Vanessa; She was an unsuspecting child- albeit a few years older than Vanessa had been- dragged along by her irresponsible guardian, Jafar. They both came from Agrabah, but unlike Jafar, Sadira wasn't a native. At least, they were pretty sure she wasn't born on Agrabah. Sadira was a meta-human who held sway over sand and earth; meaning, she could control it. It was a power that none of them had ever heard of before, but they knew they could use it to their advantage. They abused Sadira's power, and then they treated her like a princess afterward to keep her from wanting to turn on them or run off. Regardless, she was unhappy, like Vanessa. At some point, the girls started finding solace in each other.

Sadira was sitting on the railing on the side of the ship, letting one leg dangle over the edge and tucking the other one close to her chest and hugging it with both arms. Her turquoise eyes stared emptily over the burning village that the ship hovered over. Of course, she heard Vanessa coming.

"Doesn't it bother you? What we're doing to these people?" Sadira murmured. She looked up at Vanessa like a lost puppy. "What we do in every port we stop in?"

"I don't think about it too much. And neither should you." Vanessa stated flatly. She perched next to Sadira on the railing, keeping both feet above the deck and facing her disillusioned friend. "It's just what we do."

"But we don't have to..." Sadira mumbled, looking once more toward the decimated village. There were no survivors from this raid. The closer the pirates got to the main city, the less mercy they had. This was the village that had been guarding the entrance to that city.

Vanessa decided not to respond to that. She wanted to believe that what Sadira said was true. Deep down, she wanted to have hope that people could be better, if they wanted to. But she also knew that all these creeps _enjoyed _the life of piracy; that they wouldn't give it up for anything, save for enough treasure to run off with and start their lives completely over.

Vanessa and Sadira both knew that even Jafar would probably dump her somewhere and take off if she no longer proved to be useful. Sadira was terrified of it; the thought of being abandoned fueled her to behave like his little slave. It angered Vanessa to no end, but she never brought it up.

A deep, booming laugh emanated like thunder from the galley. Sadira stiffened at the sound while Vanessa just rolled her eyes. Gaston and Clayton had opted out of searching for the missing princess, since she'd already kicked their asses earlier. Ursula had already taken care of them, and now they were sharing a drink.

"Are you seeing Gaston again tonight?" Sadira asked quietly.

Vanessa shrugged carelessly. "If he comes by my room, yeah."

"He's kind of a brute." Sadira said, obviously worried.

Sure, he was a little rough. And yes, he was very, _very _stupid. But, he was a the only semi-attractive man on the ship who wasn't too much older than her, and he knew how to please a woman. And Vanessa could handle him fine, and take care of herself. They didn't have to depend on each other for anything. It was a match made in heaven.

"We don't meet nice guys in our line of work." Vanessa replied stonily.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Gothel rolled her eyes as the Stabbington brothers scrambled to follow the _Legacy's _trail.

"What's taking so long?" She demanded.

"They nearly led is into a black hole!" One of them snapped in response. He growled. "They made a short stop on Agrabah. They're taking off now, it'll take a minute to map their trajectory."

"I wonder where the hell they're going?" The other one asked.

"It doesn't matter where they're going as long as we follow them." Gothel said icily. "Remember what precious cargo awaits us on that ship, boys."

_**The Legacy...**_

"You're sure it's secure?" Flynn asked Aladdin for the tenth time since take-off.

Aladdin stared at him in annoyance. "_Yes. _I've got it all wrapped up and hidden in my bag, under my bunk. No one's touching the thing."

Flynn nodded, but still looked slightly nervous.

The reason why Flynn was so worried was that the Lamp was one of the most dangerous weapons ever created. It looked harmless, designed like a Genie's Lamp from an old storybook. But it responded to touch. Should a person lay their bare hands on it, they would unleash something horrible; the Lamp would open up and release a force so deadly that it could obliterate an entire planet in mere minutes. No one was quite sure what was inside, or how it was so powerful, since it had been kept under lock and key on Agrabah for centuries. And Flynn really didn't want to find out.

Aladdin had been cautious when retrieving the Lamp, grabbing it with a cloth and wrapping it up immediately. He was careful not to let one bit of skin even brush against the metal thing. Still, he couldn't blame Flynn for being paranoid. He'd have to watch over the Lamp like a hawk.

"I say we take one of the escape pods tonight. We don't want to wait around too long." Flynn said.

Aladdin got this weird look on his face.

Flynn narrowed his eyes at him. "What is it?"

"It's just... Well... What about Rapunzel and Jazz?"

"What about them?"

"Well... They're on this ship because of us. We recruited them just before going on this really dangerous mission, and now we're just taking off?"

Flynn crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow in slight amusement. "What's your point?"

"I just think we have a responsibility to make sure nothing happens to them. That's all." Aladdin nervously ran a hand through his thick hair.

Flynn stared at him for a moment, obviously amused. "You like Jazz, don't you?"

"What? No! No..."

"Alright, alright... I'll humor you. We stick around through this whole Atlantis thing. Then we're gone. Deal?"

Aladdin grinned. "Deal."

Flynn sighed and turned to walk away. "Okay, then..." He actually wasn't too put off by this sudden change. He would be lying if he said he wouldn't feel bad about ditching Rapunzel with the pirates.

Aladdin glanced over to see Jazz sitting with a group of people- for someone who'd seemed so cold when they first met, she was eager to make friends aboard the ship- watching as Robin taught Merida to shoot three arrows at a time (at her insistence). Jazz noticed Aladdin watching and waved him over to sit with her. Aladdin smiled and walked toward her as Merida and Robin assaulted the target that was tied to the mast. The group sitting around them cheered with each shot, whether it was successful or not. They'd obviously been drinking.

Aladdin leaned toward Jazz's ear and whispered, "You seem to fit right in here."

Jazz smiled at him, a true genuine smile that reached her amber eyes and seemed to make them sparkle. He was mesmerized.

"I feel right at home." She assured him with a giggle.


	8. Atlantis: Part One

Jasmine wandered the deck for awhile after most of the crew had gone to bed. Amelia was holding a private meeting in her office with John, Phoebus, Robin, Milo and Sinbad and their crews, Merlin, Doppler and Hercules. The only other person awake was Eric, who couldn't be compelled to leave the helm. She was left with some peace and privacy, strolling along the edge of the ship and gazing into the vast expanse that surrounded them. She'd never thought she'd ever see something like this... She'd hardly set foot out of her own home, she never once thought about what it would be like to explore the galaxy. Space was at once dark and lifeless and empty as well as colorful and glittering with the light of thousands- maybe _millions_\- of stars. An endless conundrum in and of itself, constantly contradicting its own nature... Though she supposed that the nature of space was that it was unpredictable, full of endless possibilities... She just couldn't believe that she was actually standing in the middle of it all.

"Hey, Jazz."

She turned to smile at Aladdin, who she hadn't heard sneaking up before. He beamed at her as he came to stand by her side.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" He asked.

She laughed quietly and nodded, staring out at the stars. "Yes... It's amazing." The area around them was blooming with clouds of purple and blue and pink, wisps of green and yellow snaking through here and there. It was all illuminated by the white-hot stars burning all around. "I never knew what was up here before..."

"Wanna get a better view? If you climb up into the bird's nest, the lights from the deck won't interfere so much." Aladdin said.

"Alright..." She smirked.

The pair of them scaled their way up the mast until they found themselves in the large basket that Rat usually called home. With him in the meeting with the Captain, they had it all to themselves. Jasmine couldn't help grinning as the view became more spectacular. The colors of the strange space clouds became more saturated and effervescent as the stars glowed more fiercely, uninhibited by the immediate lantern light. She sighed dreamily and leaned against the edge, taking it all in.

Aladdin watched her for awhile, captivated by her silhouette in the starlight. He watched the playful gleam dance over her amber eyes, and felt his heart race. He felt as though he could stay up here with her forever. If he could just stop time at this moment, he would. Then, a dreadful feeling plummeted in his gut and he was forced to face reality.

He'd found this girl, a stranger, and on a whim he'd encouraged her to join the crew just when they were setting out to fight a band of malicious pirates in a foreign and completely unexplored territory. He'd seen before that she could handle herself. She was skilled thanks to her hard life back on Agrabah, but these were completely different circumstances. He'd seen her skills in evasion and stealth, but he hadn't seen her fight... He didn't even know if she could fight! What the hell had he been thinking?!

_I can't let anything happen to her._

"Hey, uh... These pirates we're going after... They're really not people to mess with." He said.

His grave tone caught her attention and she turned to look at him. A warm thrill surged through his chest.

"I mean, uh..." He cleared his throat. "They won't hesitate to kill you if they get the chance."

"Captain Amelia briefed me on the crew of the _Jolly Roger. _I think I know what to expect." She answered steadily. But he could see in her eyes that she was worried.

"I know you can look after yourself, but..."

"I don't need you to protect me."

"I know, but I could still help."

She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, how good are you in a fight?" He asked.

Now she looked a lot less sure of herself. "I've always been good at getting out of tough situations. I've never gotten to a point where I need to fight head-on."

He nodded. "That's what I thought... Okay. Let me teach you a few moves. Just so you can defend yourself, if necessary."

"Really?" She seemed both doubtful and excited about the idea.

He smiled. "Yeah. I mean, I can teach you whatever you want to know, but I figure we ought to ease into it. Right?"

"That's probably for the best." She was blushing slightly.

"Let's start right now. We can go down to the cargo bay with some swords. And once we reach the planet, we'll find a secluded area so I can teach you to shoot. Deal?"

"Sounds good to me." She assured him. He started to climb down to the deck and she followed suit, biting her lip on a smile the whole way.

_**A Few Days Later...**_

The journey to Atlantis was long and arduous. Eric was attentive the entire time, unwilling to leave the helm or take his eyes off the course for even a second. He steered them away from any other singularities in their path, not wanting to repeat their first experience with a black hole. He also maneuvered the ship through two seperate asteroid feilds, both dense and cumbersome. He and the others noticed that the second field of asteroids didn't contain rocks, but metal discs in uniform rows. Amelia came to the conclusion that the metal objects were once a booby trap, a means of defense from intruders. They were magnetic explosives. But now, after however many millions of years since being set up, they lay dormant.

Now the _Legacy _floated through a plain of fragmented statues that once stood guard over Atlantis.

"The Sentinels..." Milo gaped and took pictures with his portable holophone.

"Sentinels?" Jane asked uneasily.

"Watchers, protectors of the planet. Judging by the look of them, these statues are ancient. And long out of commission." Milo explained.

"Did the _Jolly Roger _do this?" Belle asked in disbelief.

John shook his head. "No... They don't have nearly enough firepower. Something else destroyed them. Long ago."

"Seems like Atlantis was having tough times before the pirates came along..." Dr. Sweet muttered while Tiana held onto his arm.

"The Atlanteans are a strong and proud people. They have survived this long for a reason. But I say someone finally chipped in." Amelia said haughtily.

Eric sailed between the floating chunks of the massive statues, finally catching sight of the secluded planet. Everyone aboard gasped of chattered excitedly as Atlantis came into view. It didn't look too different from how the Earth did back in its prime, but was swathed in a few fine, shifting layers of mist, and it was slightly smaller than the Earth was.

Wendy and Alice were both inspecting the face of one of the statues as they passed it by. Alice squinted at the dark crevices that worked their way through the surface of the stone, and the empty, hollow eyes that seemed to stare blindly ahead.

"Milo... Were these things...alive?" Alice asked.

"In a way, yes. It's kind of hard to explain, but...well, think of them like robots. Except that they're made of rock." Milo replied, too excited about nearing the lost planet to focus on the Sentinels any more.

A strange, gutteral sound echoed around them, shaking the ship. Eric frowned at his radar screen as the noise ground to a whining halt. The sonar was reading off the charts. The noise resounded again, this time much closer. A few people covered their ears as the sound reached a painful crescendo. Eric checked the radar again, but saw nothing. The noise finally stopped, but the silence didn't put anyone at ease.

"Eric, what the hell was-" Amelia was cut off when the ship was thrown violently to the side.

Eric quickly put up a defense shield to block them from any further attack. But when he turned to see what had thrown the ship, he realized that the shield wouldn't be enough, and quickly jumped into evasive maneuvers while the screams of his crew echoed in his ears.

The creature was massive, and covered with a thick shell, like a crustacean. It bellowed and growled with a magnitude like an explosive, and threw out one giant, black claw to grab the ship. Its eyes burned red as though ready to spit flames.

"Ready the cannons!" Amelia ordered the crew.

Phoebus and John ran around relaying the order and gathering people to go below deck and prepare to fire. Meanwhile, Eric was buying them some time by racing ahead of the creature, luring it away from the planet.

"Eric, turn around!" Milo called. "We have to reach Atlantis!"

"Are you crazy? That thing will follow us and destroy the planet!" Eric cried.

"No, it won't! It's protecting it, like the Sentinels!"

"What?!"

"It explains why it didn't want to let us pass!" Robin commented.

Eric groaned and sharply turned the ship around, ducking under the creature just as it was gaining on them. It flew over them and clumsily turned to follow as they sailed back toward Atlantis.

"Milo, what is this thing?!" Eric demanded.

"The Leviathan! I thought it was just a myth, since no alien species like it has been-" Milo caught sight of how the armor-like shell gleamed in the light coming from the ship. "Metal... Of course! It's made of metal! It's a _machine! _"

Amelia groaned. "I don't think anything we've got will put a dent in it, then..."

"How did the _Jolly Roger _manage this?!" Jane shrieked.

"Their ship is much smaller and faster than ours!" Eric replied, gritting his teeth as he made a risky maneuver to avoid the Leviathan's grasping claw. A few people screamed or shouted unhappily. "Sorry, guys!"

"There's not much I can do about size, but I think we can help you out with speed!" Audrey's voice came over the comm.

"Are you sure the engine can handle another push so soon?" Amelia asked.

"Do we really have a choice? Honestly, if the ship explodes, we'll die much faster than if that thing gets ahold of us!"

"Not helpful, Audrey!" Milo snapped.

"Whatever you guys are gonna do, do it!" Eric said.

"Okay... Keep the ship straight! No fancy flying, or you might lose control!" Audrey told him. Then, she turned from the comm and called to Merida, "On my count..."

"Brace yourselves!" Amelia called to everyone on the deck.

Eric straightened the ship out, making a beeline for the planet at top speed while the Leviathan roared and raced after them.

As they drew nearer to the planet at dangerous speeds, Dr. Doppler grew uneasy and asked, "How do we know that the planet doesn't have a force feild around it?! I mean, with all these other defenses, they obviously don't want us getting in!"

"Nonsense, doctor! How could the _Jolly Roger _have gotten in then?" Amelia retorted.

"With access codes in that journal that Hook neglected to give to you!"

"Hook wants us to come meet him!"

"He doesn't want _us! _He just wants something he thinks we have! And it will be much easier for him to take it from us if we all die crashing into a wall of invisible solid matter!"

Amelia glanced behind them to see the Leviathan catching up to them. "Do you really think it's a good idea to slow down right now, doctor?!"

The ship rattled, signaling that the engineers were getting ready to give the ship a jump. Doppler groaned and sat behind a crate to brace himself.

Just as the Leviathan nearly snatched the ship in its claws, the _Legacy _was launched forward, far out of its grasp. The gargantuan machine lunged after them, but its attempt to catch them was futile. It was too big and clumsy to match their speed. Within seconds, the ship had disappeared into the thick mist that swirled around the planet, the petrifying wail of the Leviathan fading away behind it.

Once they'd safely entered the planet's atmosphere, Eric shouted into his comm for Audrey and Merida to take the engines down to normal speed. Momentarily, the ship was drifting peacefully amongst the fluffy clouds in the crystal-clear blue sky. Most of the crew cheered or celebrated the successful arrival in some way. Amelia gave Eric a congratulatory pat on the shoulder, which he responded to with a grin.

"This is a historic moment, helmsman." Amelia proudly told him. "We are one of the very few ships to ever reach this mystical land."

"Well, let's not forget that a bunch of pirates got here first..." Robin muttered darkly, staring over the side of the ship as they were dropping out of the clouds.

A few other members of the crew looked out as well, and there were a few gasps and pained cries. John quickly grabbed his little sister and said, "Alice, don't look." He turned her around and pulled her close. But it was too late. Alice had already seen the awful sight. She cried against her brother's chest. Jane and Belle held onto Wendy in much the same fashion. Hercules tried to get Belle to look away, but she was too angry to notice his attempts to comfort her.

"Those _monsters._" She hissed.

For as far as they could see, villages were left in crackling cinders and the jungles were dark with heavy smoke. A few screams echoed from the smoldering landscape, from no discernable direction. Some villagers were hiding out in improvised tents and crying together. The earth was buried in ash and still-burning rubble. Below the clouds, the sky was grey, and a faint aura of red reached up from the canopy of the jungle, signaling more flames hidden in the distance.

"We will assist the victims immediately, and put out any fires we come across." Amelia ordered solemnly.

After Eric landed the ship on the outskirts of the jungle, the crew spent nearly an hour sweeping their way deeper and deeper into the trees to help the villagers. With more strong hands to help, water was taken from the rivers and coves nearby to put out the fires. Dr. Sweet and a few others worked quickly to help the injured while the others helped the natives to recover those lost to the flames. Amelia watched as the villagers prepared funeral pyres for the dead.

"How could anyone do this?" Phoebus growled.

Amelia replied stonily, "Not just anyone could."

"We have to catch up to Hook and his crew. They've undoubtedly reached the main city by now." Milo said worriedly.

"You're seeking the pirates?"

The crew turned in surprise toward the new voice. A tall, statuesque woman with copper skin stepped toward them on nimble, bare feet and long, svelte legs. Her brown eyes shone with tears and her sleek black hair whipped about her sensual face in the wind. She was quite beautiful, but obviously full of sorrow.

Amelia nodded. "Yes."

"You folks speak English?" John asked.

"We speak many languages here." The woman answered. She motioned her hand in greeting. "I am Pocahontas. My father was the Chief of our tribe. Those horrible people killed him, as well as my husband, Kocoum."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Amelia said sadly.

"What's done is done. Now, you must allow me to lead you to the main city, to bring justice for my people, and all others lost to their brutality." Pocahontas said solemnly.

Amelia was already shaking her head. "No, we couldn't ask you to-"

"I am the best tracker you will find in these lands. Aside from myself, the only people who know the way to Kashekim's castle are the other village Chiefs, but I am sure they have suffered the same fate my father did." Pocahontas ducked her head, then looked up at Amelia with softened eyes. "Please. Allow me to help bring those monsters to justice."

"I will come, too." A young man stepped forward, his already shaggy black hair mussed and his face streaked with ash. He spoke with a fierceness that Pocahontas was noticably lacking. "The pirates killed my oldest brother, Sitka. And I am skilled at scavenging and hunting, and know my way around the jungles. Pocahontas and I together will help you survive the journey."

Pocahontas gave him a guarded look as he spoke, then turned back to Amelia with a hopeful expression.

Amelia looked him over and asked, "And what is your name, sir?"

"Kenai."

Amelia nodded at each of them, addressing each respectfully. "Kenai. Pocahontas. We thank you for your courage. And we would be glad for you both to join us. I'm sure we won't get far without your help."

Pocahontas bowed in gratitude while Kenai wandered off to gather supplies for the journey. Pocahontas walked up to Amelia and said, "We'll need a moment to say goodbye to our families. I have a daughter and many cousins who will worry, and Kenai has two other brothers and an elderly grandmother. We are lucky any of them survived. Now we must keep it that way."

"Pardon me, but wouldn't it be wise for you to remain here and lead these people in your father's place?" Amelia asked carefully.

Pocahontas was quiet for a moment, turning her head toward the jungle. Her eyes looked lost as they searched for nothing in particular through the smoke and trees.

"My father was a wise leader... Much wiser than myself. He always knew that I was a free spirit. He wanted me to be steady, like the river... But rivers aren't steady at all, aren't they?" She looked at Amelia now with determination. "I cannot choose the smooth course for now. I won't stay behind and try to comfort my people while strangers go to fight our battles. There are others who will know what to do better than I. They will understand my going with you."

Amelia nodded. "Well... Assure your daughter that you'll be back before she even has time to miss you. We'll make sure together that these pirates pay."

Pocahontas smiled faintly and nodded before walking away. She approached a young girl, around 12 or 13 years old, and the child flung herself at Pocahontas and they embraced as though they'd never get a chance to again. Amelia watched for a moment, then decided to give the two some privacy. She turned away and told Phoebus and John, "The girl's already lost a father. We won't let her mother be taken away from her. Understand?"

Both men nodded in the affirmative. Amelia withheld a sigh and turned to see Kenai having a quiet argument with another man about his age. Judging by the resemblance, she assumed it was one of his brothers.

"I should be going with you." Denahi hissed as Kenai packed for the journey.

Kenai shook his head at his older brother. "No. You are one of the only braves left. The people need you here. And Koda and Tanana need someone here to care for them."

"Kenai, you can't fight!" Denahi snapped.

Kenai glanced toward the sailors and noticed the knives and other strange weapons they carried. "I won't need to."

"Kenai..."

He turned and knelt down to hug his younger brother, Koda. The child pulled back after a long moment and peered up at him with moist eyes.

"Do you really have to go?" Koda whimpered.

Kenai nodded and gently said, "Yes. It wouldn't be wise to let Pocahontas travel with these strangers alone, no matter how noble their intentions may be. I must go to protect her as well as help catch those fiends. But I will be back before you know it. I swear."

They hugged again, longer this time. Then, Kenai stood up and handed Koda over to Denahi. He shared a goodbye with his grandmother, Tanana, before finishing with his packing and walking away to meet the sailors. Pocahontas soon joined them as well, after leaving her daughter with her cousins and packing a few things also. A few other members of the tribe had gifted the crew with food and supplies for their journey, which were spread between a few crew members to be carried safely.

"Right, then." Amelia called everyone to order. The group stood obediently before her and she continued, "A team of people needs to stay with the ship to guard it. Not that I don't trust the natives, but we should be cautious at this time. Once the crew of the _Jolly Roger _ realizes we're here, I'm sure they'll try to sabotage our vessel. Eric, I'm assuming you'll want to stay behind?"

He nodded in response and came to stand beside her.

"Well, if I call your name, please come stand with Eric." Amelia told the others. "For starters, anyone under the age of 18 should stay on the ship."

All the underage crew members groaned in response, but after a sharp look from their Captain and a few of their elders, they obediently walked forward to join Eric. That meant Jim, Audrey, Peter, Wendy, Alice, Arthur, Taran and Mowgli were staying behind so far. And, of course, Tink obediently followed Peter.

"Chin up, dearies. I'm sure there'll be plenty of chores to keep you busy." Amelia joked half-heartedly. She turned to the others now. "Merlin. I suppose I can't compel you to stay with your charges?"

"The boys know I have a duty to you, Captain." The older man replied. Then he looked at Arthur, Taran and Mowgli. "You know I won't be long."

Mowgli and Taran glumly nodded along with Arthur responding in understanding, "We know."

"I can stay behind." Dr. Doppler eagerly volunteered.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Be my guest." As he walked forward, she addressed the others, "The rest of you deliberate amongst yourselves who shall stay and who shall go."

The crowd immediately began to murmur.

"Tiana, I think it would be best if you stayed on the ship." Joshua whispered to his wife.

"I don't want you to go without me." She replied in concern.

"If things go bad, they're gonna need a cook aboard."

"_Chef. _And Cookie could-"

"A _good _cook."

She crossed her arms and glared up at him.

He sighed. "Chef. And besides, you try to keep that old coot from coming along. And you're good with the kids, and you've got the leadership skills to-"

"Joshua."

He fell silent and she smirked up at him.

"I'll stay." She finally consented, slightly amused. Then her expression furrowed in worry. "You just be careful."

He pulled her into a hug. "I will."

Meanwhile, Flynn was having a hard time convincing Rapunzel to stay behind.

"This is my first adventure! You can't expect me to back out!" Rapunzel argued like a child.

Flynn groaned. "Blondie, these are seriously cut-throat, murder-crazy, violent, greedy ruffians and thugs we're talking about here! You've never even been in a fight! And you've never been in a jungle like that before. There's bound to be all kinds of wild animals and poisonous plants and bugs in there..."

Her eyes suddenly went wide with fright. "Do you think there's quicksand?"

He stared at her for a moment. "Yeah, I mean, maybe. Wow. That's kinda a weird thing to bring up."

She looked sheepishly down at her feet, biting her lip.

Flynn sighed. "I really just think it would be for the best if you stayed put. Look, Rat's staying, too. You can learn more about the rigging or...whatever."

"I guess you're right..." Rapunzel walked sullenly toward Eric's growing group, obviously disappointed. Flynn watched her go, feeling more at ease knowing she was out of harm's way. Then he turned toward Aladdin and frowned when he saw Jazz standing casually beside him. Aladdin followed his gaze and gave Jazz a questioning look. Seeing the stubborn expression on her face and the firm shake of her head, he turned back to Flynn and shrugged. Flynn rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Are you quite sure I can't convince you to stay, Jane? It might do well to have someone stay with the girls." Mr. Porter was saying to Jane.

"Wendy and Alice have plenty of people to look after them, daddy. They'll be fine. And if you think I'm going to let you wander through this jungle without my supervision, you're sorely mistaken." Jane answered matter-of-factly.

"But, Jane-"

"If you're so worried about it, why don't you stay with them?"

"And let you go on this dangerous adventure without your father? Nonsense!" He sputtered.

Jane smiled cheerily. "Glad it's settled, then."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you both have such faith in me and trust me to keep you safe on our expedition."

Jane and their father both laughed at this. Amelia couldn't hide that she was amused as well.

Belle noticed Hercules staring at her with earnest eyes and turned to him with a curious look. She asked, "What is it?"

"I'm going to have to insist that you stay on the ship, Belle." He said plainly.

She laughed. "Well, if you _insist..._" She noticed the serious (and slightly confused) look on his face and frowned at him. She crossed her arms, obviously offended. "You're not joking."

"Belle-"

"Hercules, I'm an adult. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And I came on this expedition for a reason. I'm not sitting out."

"But, Belle, if these pirates are really as bad as everyone says- I mean, even if they were _half _as bad- I just can't in good conscience allow you to waltz into what could be a bloodbath!" He stepped toward her, attempting to take her hands in his. "If anything happens to you-"

She pulled her hands away from his reach and stepped back from him, leaving him looking hurt. "I'm glad to know how weak and fragile you really think I am! And what I do is not up to you, so never mind what you can '_allow_'!"

"I just don't want you to get hurt!"

"I may not be much of a fighter, but I can handle myself should things go wrong. Now, I signed onto this expedition to explore new lands and go on real adventures, not just live vicariously through the ones in my books. And I don't think you have the right to take this opportunity away from me! I am going to help save Atlantis, not sit uselessly back on the ship!"

"If I go, Belle goes." Jane cut in.

"But-" Hercules tried to argue.

"End of discussion." Belle rebuked him. She and Jane linked arms, turned sharply around, and started to walk away, whispering to each other. Hercules stared after them in shock.

Merida discretely prodded Adam's ribs with one elbow and muttered, "Guess ya' might stand a chance with the lass after all, eh?"

Adam said nothing. The idea of Belle putting herself in danger didn't exactly excite him either. Still, the look on Hercules' face was enough to lift his spirits a bit. Merida glanced up to see him smirking, and smiled to herself, believing that she'd helped instill some hope in him.

John searched through the crowd until he found Naveen. He clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "Do you think you could stay behind and watch my sister?"

Naveen was about to protest, but then noticed the green-eyed gypsy girl being coerced into staying aboard by her older brother. Seeing the girl roll those beautiful eyes and turn to join Eric's group, Naveen eagerly nodded.

"Yes... Yes, of course. I'll, uh... I'll play some music to distract the kids, eh?" Naveen said suavely.

John nodded distractedly, already walking away. "Sounds like a plan, buddy..."

"Alright!" Amelia called after everyone was done splitting up. "Now, Eric will take you lot back to the ship. As well as guarding our vessel, you are to lend assistance to the villagers as needed." She nodded at the group and they headed back to the ship. Then she turned to the larger group that remained. "We shall leave immediately for the main city. We haven't a moment to lose."

_**Some Hours Later...**_

They'd been hiking through this jungle for most of the day now. It was now night, but Amelia and her crew were well-rested enough to keep going without a break. And Pocahontas and Kenai were both determined to reach the main city before it was too late. No one was eager to make camp in this wilderness.

Pocahontas moved through the jungle with grace, treading lightly on nimble feet, as though she didn't wish to disrupt nature any further in light of the recent tragedies. She and Kenai walked further ahead of the group, leading them patiently through the jungle. But they couldn't help being so far ahead. This way of travel was much easier for them than for the sailors, and they naturally moved quicker. At first, the two walked in silence, with quite a distance between them. But eventually Kenai found his way to her side. She silently appreciated his presence. When Kenai felt they could speak freely without being overheard, he quietly said, "I'm very sorry about Kocoum."

Pocahontas turned to give him a guarded look, saying nothing. Kenai could tell that she wanted to believe him, but couldn't help being doubtful.

He sighed. "I really am. Kocoum was a good man, a great warrior. I owe my life to him as much as anyone. We may have had our differences..."

Pocahontas couldn't control the bitter laugh that crept up her throat. Kenai looked at her in shock.

"You had your differences? That's how you'd like to say it?" She whispered, looking ahead coldly as she moved onward.

Kenai was quiet for a moment before cautiously responding. "Yes. Differences. Like everyone always saying he was better then me. Like him being your father's favorite of all the braves. Like my brothers always bragging about him..." He paused, then spoke in a tremulous hush. "Like him taking the love of my life from me."

She was surprised by his honesty, but showed no reaction. She was quiet as she continued to walk. He waited for a response for awhile, making a show of surveying their surroundings. Then, he muttered, "But just because of all that, he did not deserve to die."

"I know that. I know you did not wish death upon him, in spite of everything." She replied softly. She'd known Kenai long enough to recognize the kindness of his heart. He wore his gentle nature like an aura for all to see. But she also knew that he often acted upon the impulses of his heart rather than his head, and made rash decisions as a result. His emotions were strong and at times muddled his normally logical mind. His big heart was as much a curse as a blessing.

"You and Tiger Lily have suffered a great loss." He said after a moment.

"My daughter and I will get by." She responded automatically.

"Pocahontas-"

"No, Kenai." She hissed. "I understand that your intentions are good, and you're worried about me. But I cannot do it to my daughter." She looked up toward the canopy as they moved, catching glimpses of the stars dancing among the leaves. "Tiger Lily looked at her father like he was a god. She aspired to be like him in all ways of life. Her love for Kocoum triumphed mine at many times. For him to be taken from her in such a way is a terrible crime. But you..." She shook her head. "No matter what has happened between you and I or how we feel for each other, you are a stranger to her. It wouldn't do her well to have a man she doesn't know swoop in and try to provide for us, to take her beloved father's place. And I do not plan to remarry, any way. It would be disrespectful to Kocoum, and to my father who adored him like a son." She blinked as hot tears pricked her eyes. "Both these men who have shaped my life and meant so much are gone now. You cannot take the place of either of them."

Kenai was silent for awhile, ducking his head in shame as they walked onward. Finally, he whispered, "I... I only want to help."

"Is that it? Or is it actually that you've always envied the life that Kocoum and I made together?" She pondered aloud.

Kenai laughed dryly. "That may be part of it... I've tried to keep the bitterness of losing you out of my heart, but seeing how happy you were together, and the beautiful family you had after he took you from me... Everything, I ever wanted- _everything_\- he had. And I just had to sit by and watch. But, Pocahontas, I swear to you, I never let that jealousy turn to hatred. I never wished ill upon him, or any of you. I..." He hesitated before saying, "I still love you. After all this time. That never went away. I believe that that's what saved me from my envy."

Pocahontas stared into the distance, walking without really seeing as this washed over her. She tried to collect herself, but was failing. All at once, she relived the happiest memories of her past spent with Kenai, how she'd hoped her father would cast aside his obvious favor of Kocoum and allow her to marry the boy she truly loved. How instead she was forced to marry Kocoum, and spent every night of those first few years silently crying herself to sleep in their bed or laying awake wishing it was Kenai sleeping at her side. All the turmoil she felt while she was pregnant with Kocoum's child, which wound up leading to the most purely happy moment of her life: the birth of Tiger Lily. She'd never thought there would be a person in her life who she loved more than Kenai or her dear father. But Tiger Lily stole her heart from her first cry, the first time Pocahontas laid eyes on her. And then Pocahontas realized that all that mattered then was giving her child a good life. And she grew to love Kocoum in a way, for giving her such a perfect gift, and for being such a good husband and father. But a guilt always lingered in her, for she still secretly longed for a life that she was forced to believe could never be; a life with the man she truly loved. Her heart ached every time she and Kenai had to pass each other by in the village and act like strangers. But she busied herself with raising Tiger Lily, which gave her a joy which rivaled any feeling Kenai had awakened in her.

But now that had all fallen apart. Kocoum was gone, as was her father. And she left her young daughter alone to grieve while she came along on this mission... What was she even doing here? Seeking vengeance? She'd never been the type to do that before. Was she secretly seeking a temporary escape from her duties to her people- to her daughter?

What was she doing?

"Pocahontas?" Kenai whispered.

The wind suddenly picked up, carrying with it a few dead leaves from the ground. As the wind flowed around her, Pocahontas heard a faint whisper within it. Without hesitation, she ran in the direction that the wind was blowing. She heard a few people shouting behind her, but ignored it, only listening to the wind's song. She practically flew through the trees, letting the wind carry her toward her unknown destination, entranced.

"Where is she going?" Amelia demanded of Kenai as they ran after her.

"I don't know! She must have caught sight of something!" Kenai called back as he raced to keep up with Pocahontas.

Pocahontas felt the wind normalizing around her and slowed carefully to a stop, glancing around this new part of the jungle in wonder. Why had the wind brought her here? She searched around for a bit while the others caught up to her, asking all kinds of questions. Pocahontas slowly examined the trees that loomed over them until she spotted something. She held up a hand to the others, signaling them to be quiet and wait. They stood there in utter confusion as Pocahontas began to call up into the trees in Atlantean.

"What's going on?" John asked Kenai.

"She's talking to someone." Kenai replied simply.

Phoebus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we see that. But _who? _"

"And what's she saying?" Meg added peevishly.

"She's letting someone know that it's safe to come down. That we're not a threat." Milo whispered.

They were all silenced when a new presence made herself known. A beautiful young woman dropped down from the trees, landing before them with a prideful stance and a wary look in her pale blue eyes. Her dark skin, wild, white hair, blue tattoos and tribal clothes and jewelry made her easily recognizable as an Atlantean. A true, full-blooded, indigent life form, not one of the Terran refugees. The first _actual _Atlantean the crew had seen since arriving.

Pocahontas seemed to bristle at the sight of the newcomer. Amelia watched this reaction curiously. Pocahontas had seen the trademark characteristics of an Atlantean and wanted to help. But now that she and this girl were face-to-face, Pocahontas seemed to easily recognize her and was obviously displeased by her presence.

The only other person who immediately recognized the woman was Milo, whose jaw dropped. He muttered something unintelligible.

"Uh... What was that, buddy?" Sweet asked him.

"That's the princess... Princess Kidagakash... That's her..." Milo responded in shock.

The princess smirked and responded in perfect English, "You can call me Kida."

Milo seemed like he was about to faint.

"What are you doing out here, Your Highness?" Amelia asked.

"And what's with the shotgun?" Flynn asked uneasily.

Kida's face became very serious. "I will explain on the way... Come, we must go to the city immediately. I will lead the way." She noticed the cold look Pocahontas was giving her and frowned before turning to lead the group back the way she had come.

"Quite a turn of events, eh, Milo?" Vinny teased as they followed the princess's lead. Mole laughed hysterically while Milo eagerly raced to the front and began to ask Kida all kinds of questions about the planet and its culture, scribbling down notes as she patiently played along.

Adam noticed how closely Tarzan was watching the princess and smirked.

"This planet's got some nice sights, huh?" Adam mumbled in amusement.

Tarzan didn't seem to catch on to his insinuation and muttered in response, "Yeah, this place is nice..." His eyes seemed glued to Kida. "Beautiful."

Adam bit his lip on a laugh and shook his head. Then, spotting how Belle was still keeping her distance from Hercules, his grin only grew. "This trip's going pretty great."

_**Meanwhile...**_

Eric busied himself with monitoring the radars, standing guard at the helm while the others who'd stayed behind entertained themselves on the deck. Night enveloped the land and, with the promise of the sailors' vigilance, the villagers nearby had fallen into a morose and silently fitful semblance of rest. Rat was teaching Rapunzel and a few of the kids some tricks in the rigging. Peter and Jim were holding a card game with the other kids while Naveen played a peaceful tune on a stringed instrument. Naveen noticed the elusive gypsy girl dancing in place to his music across the deck and grinned to himself. Tiana was in the galley, preparing food to last them and the villagers a few days, since most of the tribes' hunters were incapacitated or deceased. Wendy was helping her.

Everything seemed peaceful. Aside from Eric's growing irritation at how Dr. Doppler paced incessantly behind him and occasionally hovered over his shoulder to peek at the navigation screens. Eric remained patient and only silently rolled his eyes when he knew the doctor couldn't see.

Eventually the children gave into the exhaustion that weighed on them and they went off to bed. Rapunzel stubbornly tried to ward off sleep by pacing about the deck for awhile, but soon found herself heading down to her room as well. Tiana stayed up in the galley alone, worry for her husband and friends keeping her awake. Dr. Doppler finally (mercifully) left Eric alone to get some shut-eye. Eric watched Naveen and Esmeralda entertain each other with music and dance for awhile, allowing Naveen to keep playing because the sound was helping him stay awake as well. Eric watched in amusement as the two coyly performed together and for each other, but seemed too nervous to share words. It seemed as though this method of song and dance was more intimate than any conversation. Eric smirked when the last song wound to an end and Esmeralda slyly strolled to the side of the ship, turning her back on Naveen. Naveen seemed to consider pursuing a conversation with her, but was obviously quite tired and uncharacteristically at a loss for words. He sighed and headed below deck to rest. She turned to watch him go, her emerald eyes alight, as though her dancing had invigorated her.

Eric glanced up to see Rat, who was supposed to be keeping watch, taking a nap in the bird's nest. Eric shook his head in disapproval and opened his mouth, ready to shout at Rat to wake up.

"You ought to let him sleep."

Eric was startled and turned to see Esmeralda perching on the side of the ship closest to him. She'd moved so quickly and silently that he hadn't noticed her coming up the stairs to the helm. Eric looked at her questioningly. She smiled in amusement and explained.

"There's nothing to guard the ship from for now. The pirates are cozied up in the castle right now. Even if they know we're here, they won't come fight us. They'll wait for us to come to them. And they've already reaped the benefits that the villages had to offer..." Esmeralda hung her head with a sad expression. "Even so, the villagers are only pretending to sleep. They can protect themselves better than we can protect them. If anyone were to come along who posed a threat, they would alert us." She looked up at him again, thoughtfully. "We've helped all we could for today. We're no use to anyone exhausted."

Eric nodded in agreement after letting her words sink in. Maybe being trapped in this foreign environment where he knew the _Jolly Roger's _crew- and whatever else- lurked about was just making him paranoid. From what he could tell now, the surrounding area was still and quiet, recuperating after a very trying day. He was just on edge.

And admittedly very tired. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes in defeat.

Esmeralda smirked. "You should get some rest. I can watch for awhile."

"You're not tired?"

She shook her head. Eric looked at her curiously. She looked energized, for sure. She was undoubtedly more awake then any of the rest of them. He couldn't help wondering how she was pulling it off.

She seemed to read his thoughts and playfully said, "Growing up the way me and my brother did, you learn how to live on very little sleep."

Eric nodded in understanding, signaling to her that she didn't need to explain further.

"Well, isn't this touching?"

The sound of the unfamiliar voice alerted them both to turn and look at the older woman who now stood behind them. She'd climbed up onto the ship without either of them seeing or hearing, which they both found very unsettling. Eric saw the devious look in her eyes and quickly pulled out his gun, which was set to stun for now, and aimed it at her. Then, out of nowhere, a large hand swung out and caught Eric's arm, painfully twisting it until he was forced to drop his gun. While his arm was being pushed behind his back as he was forced to his knees, Eric saw Esmeralda being grabbed by another large man. Esmeralda struggled and fought valiantly against the man twice her size, even going so far as to bite his hand when he tried to cover her mouth with it. He shouted in pain and slapped her senseless.

"Hey!" Eric cried, trying to get up, but the other man hadn't released him and he was pinned.

The woman laughed and walked toward Eric, pausing momentarily to pluck his gun off the floor. Eric watched as she switched the setting from stun to kill and pointed it at Eric's face, narrowing her eyes at him menacingly.

"Right now, my boys are taking it easy on you. I think you'll find that I'm not so nice. Now, we'll be out of your hair as soon as you give me back what's mine. So tell me..." She pressed the gun against Eric's forehead and growled, "Where is Rapunzel?"


	9. Atlantis: Part Two

With the help of Pocahontas, Kenai and Princess Kida, they reached the main city of Atlantis in record time. Kida seemed hell-bent on returning home to help her father and her people before it was too late, and also to have revenge on the pirates who were terrorizing her planet and all its citizens. Kenai seemed to be of the same mindset, but Pocahontas appeared to be having doubts about the mission now. It seemed like she wanted to get the others there and then head home to her daughter as quickly as possible. Amelia couldn't blame her, but she also grew suspicious when she kept catching Pocahontas glaring at the princess. Amelia couldn't help wondering if Kida's presence was contributing to Pocahontas's sudden discomfort.

The streets of the main city were deserted when they arrived. Kida called to her people in Atlantean to let them know that she was had come back to protect them. With the pirates nowhere in sight, a few braver Atlanteans decided it was safe enough to step out of the shadows. The crew watched in wonder as a cluster of dark-skinned, white-haired natives came to bow before Kida and babble quietly in their native tongue, gazing up at her with pleading blue eyes.

"Look at all these people..." Jane whispered in awe. One small Atlantean girl peered back at her in the same fashion and they giggled at each other.

"I know... Milo looks like he's about to blow a gasket." Sweet joked quietly. Vinny chuckled at Milo's wide eyes and gaping mouth as he scribbled down more notes, paying meticulous attention to every detail of what was around them. He even discretely took a few photos with his holophone.

Kida quickly grew tired of her citizens bowing to her and urged them all to stand up. She had a quick conversation with an older Atlantean man while the other natives interacted with the sailors. After a moment, Kida's eyes grew wide with panic and she started to run toward the palace. The others quickly followed.

When they arrived to the throne room, it was a bloody scene. Kida gasped at how the sacred room had been overturned and all the guards slaughtered. Then, she saw her father collapsed on his throne and ran to him. Dr. Sweet followed her and tried to examine the King, but Kida shoved him away, shouting something unintelligible in her hysterical state. She whimpered and choked back her tears as she spoke to her father, trying to illicit a response from him. Kashekim remained still and silent, his white eyes dulled by death. Kida noticed something missing from around his neck and quickly grabbed at the crystal necklace she wore and pressed it to his chest, then sat there in shock when nothing happened.

"Why...why isn't it working? Why-?" She trailed off and turned toward the center of the room, her moist eyes lost on the surface of the pond. She looked back and forth between her necklace and the water, as if she were piecing together the awful crime that had been committed. Then, her face twisted in rage and she spat, "Those _thieves! _"

"What did they take, Princess?"Amelia asked gently.

But Kida was lost in her fury, hugging her father close and continuing to yell, "_Thieves! Murderers! Demons! _" Kida bent down and sobbed over her father's body while the others bowed their heads in silent mourning.

After some time, Kida collected herself and allowed Sweet to help her place Kashekim back on his throne. Kida closed her father's eyes and turned away to let Sweet examine the King to determine the cause of death. Kida noticed Milo pacing around the pond, his gaze fixed on the symbol in the center. She walked over to join him. He looked up at her in concern.

"What they took... It's very important, isn't it?" He asked her.

Kida nodded and quietly said, "Yes."

"What is it?"

She looked at him curiously. "You are a scholar, yes?"

He nodded in the affirmative.

She went on. "You have studied any scrap of information about this planet and its people for years, yes? You mentioned earlier that your grandfather was a bit of a fanatic of our culture. And you took on his quest to discover us. Do you not have a guess as to what it could be that they stole?"

Milo rubbed the back of his neck in nervous thought. "Well, I have a guess... I just hope I'm wrong... There was an old book I read that had a few excerpts from the _Shepherd's Journal. _It mentioned a really old, strange kind of..._device _that gave the planet its power, like a battery. But there were some other passages missing so I couldn't piece the whole thing together."

"That is a very close guess... But it is more than just a battery." Kida responded gravely.

"What is it, then?" Jane asked.

"It does give the planet power. Or, rather, it _did._ After some complications arose, its power was reserved solely for this city. Both because it was so weak, and so my father could watch over it..." Kida shook her head, awash in memory. "Many years ago, my father made the mistake of trying to use the Heart of Atlantis as a weapon, and it turned on us. Since then, both the crystal and our culture have slowly been dying away. Father kept it underground so that it couldn't cause harm again, or be used by bad people. But, consequently, the state of our civilization has become significantly weaker. Once I became old enough to see it, I became worried that eventually we would all fade away entirely..."

"So... The Heart of Atlantis...it gives you all your power, but...it's alive, and it's a part of you all?" John asked.

Kida nodded. "It is the collective consciences of all the Kings of Our Past..." She turned sadly toward Kashekim. "It seems that now my father has joined them..." She turned back to the others and held up her crystal for them to see. "They are connected to us all by these. The Heart of Atlantis gives power to them that allow us our longevity. They have healing abilities. And they keep us alive for a very, very long time."

Amelia nodded in understanding. "I see. I've heard before of how your father tried to weaponize the Heart. When you mentioned it earlier, you spoke as if you clearly remembered being there for it. That would make you thousands of years old."

Kida nodded. "Yes. Without the Heart, the crystals have no power, and we become mortal. That makes us easily infected by diseases we've never had to build immunity to before. It makes our true age catch up with us. Skin wrinkles, hair and teeth fall out, bones become brittle. We will become weaker with every moment that the Heart is gone..." Kida's expression became bitter and she shook her head, obviously confused. "I just do not understand how they were able to move it without me..."

"Without you?" Milo asked in confusion.

Kida sighed to herself. "In order for the crystal to be moved, it must bond itself to a living host. A young Atlantean of royal blood. I am the only one who could have moved it for them. Which is something they overlooked when they tried to kill me. But now...it is gone."

"The _Jolly Roger _holds a crew of people with all kinds of absurd abilities, powers that defy all logic. They must have found a way to work around that obstacle. A temporary way of moving it. Which means that they can't have gotten far with it." Amelia said thoughtfully. "They must be concealing it in the jungle somewhere, trying to figure out how to escape with it."

"There's no telling what they might do with it. I doubt that it's very stable at this point, and it's fighting them." Kida said. "We must go find it at once."

"Maybe you should stay with your people, Princess Kida. Let us handle it." Amelia said.

"You won't know how to. I must go with you."

"But what if you get bonded to the Heart?" Milo asked.

"That is a risk I must take. Regardless of what happens, I am the only one who can control the Heart of Atlantis. Without me, this could become a suicide mission for you all, and destroy my planet. Besides... My father is now a part of the Heart. I will not let him see us fail. I will not allow him and the other Great Kings to be responsible for any destruction." Kida crossed her arms. "You cannot keep me from going."

Amelia nodded at the princess with a slight smirk. "Very well, then. We'll be happy to have you." She turned to Pocahontas and Kenai now. "And you'll both be coming as well, I presume?"

Kenai nodded in determination.

But Pocahontas was obviously hesitant. Her unhappiness toward Kida had bloomed into barely-concealed hatred. She gave the princess a guarded look before telling Amelia, "I said I would get you to the city, and I have done that. Now I would like to return to my daughter."

Kenai looked shocked by her words.

Amelia looked at Pocahontas for a moment before saying, "With all due respect, I must insist that you come along. Your tracking skills would be most appreciated. And you clearly know this jungle better than anyone..." The last sentence was very pointed and caused a strange reaction from Pocahontas. Then, Amelia continued, "And I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Pocahontas shook her head. "I do not want your money."

"No, I assume any currency I offer would be quite useless to you. But I could give you anything else you might want in return for helping us."

Pocahontas raised one eyebrow. "I don't think there's anything I want that you could give me."

"Are you quite sure of that?" Amelia asked smugly.

Pocahontas glared at her for a moment, then looked down at her bare feet so Amelia couldn't see her doubt.

"Why don't you think it over while we travel?" Amelia asked, already leading the way out of the throne room. Kida gave Pocahontas a strange look on her way out. Kenai also looked at her questioningly and silently ushered her forward before following the others.

Pocahontas glared after the retreating group for a moment. Then, she took a deep breath and stalked after them. All her life she'd seeked adventure. This might be her only chance. And getting to see those monsters brought to justice wasn't a bad consolation prize.

They moved much more carefully through the jungle now, knowing that Hook and his crew were lurking around somewhere among the trees. But they still strode with focus and purpose in their search for the Heart of Atlantis, given Kida's dire description of what might come to pass.

A group of people- Kida, Pocahontas, Tarzan, Sinbad, Cale, Aladdin, Jazz, and Robin- moved through the trees while the rest of them crept along the jungle floor. Amelia noticed Kenai walking by her side and decided that he might be the best person to answer her multitude of questions. Well, he was probably the only person willing to.

"So, what was that earlier?" She asked him casually.

He turned to her in confusion. "What was what?"

"Well, that fancy trick Pocahontas did with the wind earlier, of course. What was that all about?"

Kenai ducked his head, obviously uncomfortable. "Nothing... I told you, she just caught sight of something and started...running."

Amelia chuckled. "It looked more like flying than running, if I'm perfectly honest." She took on a mock-confused expression and went on, teasing him. "Come to think of it... What was it Pocahontas caught sight of? She went quite a distance before reaching that clearing, and when she got there, she didn't seem to know what she was looking for. It's almost like she found the princess by accident..." Seeing the guilty look on Kenai's face, Amelia felt victory at hand. "But it wasn't an accident, was it?"

After a moment, Kenai shook his head. "She won't like me telling you..."

"No. Let me tell her myself."

Everyone stopped when Pocahontas dropped down from the trees and landed in front of the Captain with a slightly amused expression. The others who were in the trees came down as well. All attention was on Pocahontas now. She began to tell her story.

"When the Earth was collapsing, the few Native-American people left were moved here by the Galactic Federation, at the request of the Atlanteans. When we got here, we were subjected to live in villages far and wide outside the main city, left to the wilderness and our own devices. The transition proved too difficult for some. Disease, wild animals, and unpredictable weather ravaged our numbers. One illness in particular was the main culprit of our deterioration. A horrible fever that killed many. But, the few who survived were gifted with special powers, as if nature had deemed them worthy of some sacred honor. When I was very young- too young to remember- I became very sick with this fever. I was bed-ridden for over a month. It seemed that I would die. But I did not. Instead, I was reborn with the ability to speak with nature...to be one with it. The jungle speaks to me and shows me the way, and nurtures me like a mother. And I return the favor..." Pocahontas's face fell momentarily. Then, a hopeful gleam came to her eyes and she looked around at the trees in wonder. "Even after I failed to protect her from those monsters...She still cares for me."

"She sees that you are still fighting for her." Belle said with a smile. "That's really beautiful."

Pocahontas nodded at her gratefully.

"Pocahontas has a stronger connection to the world than even my grandmother, Tanana. If she were not meant to take her father's place, I think she would be meant to be the village shaman...shawoman? I don't know." Kenai explained with slight pride until fumbling at the end.

"But aren't shaman like...connected to the spirit world?" Flynn asked skeptically.

"Let's just say it isn't just nature that is a part of my being." Pocahontas replied crypticly.

Phoebus noticed the upset look on Kida's face. "Is something troubling you, Princess?"

Kida sighed. "Please, just call me Kida. And...well..." She stepped forward so she could look at Pocahontas. "Everything you said earlier, about how your people struggled all those years ago... And how they seem to struggle still... I never imagined that things were so bad in the villages. You make it sound as though my people invited you all here only to abandon you."

"You _did._" Pocahontas growled suddenly, taking Kida by surprise.

"Pocahontas..." Kenai began to reprimand her, but she raised a hand toward him and he was suddenly silenced. A chill seemed to fill the air in spite of the sunlight that leaked through the canopy.

"After everything you told us back at the palace, I have no pity for you or your father or _any _of your people." Pocahontas told Kida harshly. "I resented you before because of the King's neglect of my people, but now, knowing that all along you were hiding something that could have saved us all, I _despise _you."

Kida shook her head, guilt obvious on her face and tears springing to her eyes. "The Heart could have destroyed us all..."

"Only if used for selfish purposes. And your father is the reason why that was even a worry!" Pocahontas snapped. She shook her head and reared back as though disgusted by the princess. "And ultimately we were the ones who were punished for it. Left to rot in the jungle while you all cowered in your city with your precious crystals!"

Kida seemed truly hurt and distressed by Pocahontas's words, and was left speechless. She wanted to respond, but had no idea what to say to placate Pocahontas. It was true, the Terran refugees had been seperated from the Atlanteans, but Kida had always thought her father had built them cities of their own. How had she not seen all this time what was really happening? How had she grown up in these jungles and allowed herself to remain ignorant of the refugees' suffering? All Kida could do now was stand there with her mouth parted to say words that refused to come. There were no words to change what had already come to pass.

Pocahontas turned sharply away and stormed off into the brush. Kenai waited a moment before cautiously following her.

Feeling the eyes of all the sailors on her- or noticing how some were doing their best not to look at her- Kida felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of her father's actions that now lay on her shoulders. Kida quickly climbed up into a tree, ignoring when the sailors tried to call to her. She climbed all the way up until she broke through the thick canopy and sat on a blanket of leaves and vines, surrounded by blue sky and mist. She allowed the tears to flow freely here, and hugged herself as a crisp wind wafted over her.

Kenai returned to the crew after a few moments and told them, "Pocahontas has gone into a deep meditation. I do not dare wake her."

"We can't just wait around! This drama is just wasting our time!" Milo practically shrieked. "Do they not realize that they're whole planet is in jeopardy?!"

"Milo. _Breathe._" Sweet instructed.

"You wanted Pocahontas to come along. We will not leave without her." Kenai responded firmly. He nodded upward toward the trees. "And, obviously, we need Kida, too."

"Right, then. I think we need a rest any way. Let's have a breather, eat, that sort of thing." Amelia told everyone.

While the others took a rest, Aladdin and Jazz took the opportunity to go further into the trees and practice shooting. Jazz quickly got the hang of it and Aladdin found himself very impressed with her aim and focus. Eventually, Jazz became so confident in her ability that she simply started to do tricks with her pistol, twirling it around between her fingers for fun. Of course, she made sure that the safety was on.

"We could work more with swords, if you want." Aladdin said as he watched her play around. "Your footing could still use some work."

Jazz looked at him sheepishly. "The claws make it hard."

"You should find a way to utilize them. For balance." He advised.

Jazz nodded distractedly and continued to mess with her gun.

"So things got a little intense back there, huh?" Aladdin commented. "I wonder how Kida and Pocahontas will be after this..."

Jazz was quiet for awhile, deep in thought. Her personal experience made it easier to see from both sides. She'd been in Kida's position before. A princess who had a responsibility to her planet and her people, a huge section of which she hardly interacted with. But Kida was facing a pressure that had never been a problem for Jazz: Ruling a whole planet alone. And Pocahontas was exactly the kind of person that Jazz had been fighting for for the last few years; Jazz had already pledged her allegiance to all citizens of her own planet, regardless of species. She hadn't allowed herself to be put in the same situation as Kida, though her people still resented her because she roamed the streets under an alias and they had no idea what their princess really felt for them.

Jazz wanted to be the peacekeeper, and go to both women and talk to them about all this, show them that the way to solve their conflict was to put aside their differences and work together. Jazz had seen prejudice and discrimination in her day, but at least the species' of Agrabah still managed to live together. How the Atlanteans could have turned their backs on the refugees was beyond her... Then again, maybe Kashekim had heard of what happened on Agrabah and decided not to give the humans a chance to take over. Maybe he'd done the kindness of saving the Native American tribes to preserve their species and culture, but decided it was for the best that the humans and Atlanteans not mingle. Maybe he really was a racist who didn't want hybrid babies running around. Or maybe the responsibility of taking on a whole new group of citizens proved too much for him and he decided to leave them on their own, though the decisive placement of the villages around the main city disproved that theory...

Whatever the case, Jazz hoped that Kida and Pocahontas and all the other citizens could learn to stand together, before it was too late. The only way Atlantis could survive was if its people were no longer divided.

And, Jazz also hoped that however the situation was handled would give her some insight as to how to fix things on her own planet.

Almost an hour passed without Pocahontas returning or Kida coming down from her sanctuary. Everyone was slowly starting to grow anxious. A few even said that they should just go and hope that the girls would catch up.

Kida had stopped crying by now and simply sat, breathing deeply. She wished she could lose herself to the sight of this beautiful sky, the clean-cut horizon against the canopy, like she could when she was younger and serenity was easy to obtain. But at this time, it was impossible. She felt a pressure building inside her as she thought of what the future might hold. First, there was this fight to win. How would they stop these pirates and return the Heart to the city without Kida being bonded to it? And even if she was taken by the crystal, would they be able to seperate in the city, or would she be lost to it? If she died, who would rule? What would happen to her people? And say all that was resolved, and the planet was saved, and she lived. Then she would have to be Queen, and have to redeem all her father's past mistakes. If only she'd known before what kind of ruler he had been in the past... But in the end he was a good man! Why hadn't he amended his wrong-doings?

And say that they lost this fight, and the planet faced a catastrophic end, and the Atlantean civilization and culture was lost for good, and all those poor people were killed...

Kida heard a rustling nearby and turned to see one of the sailors climbing up to sit by her. She was surprised to see a wild-looking man with stormy eyes and bare feet. His long, dark hair was styled in a way that she wasn't familiar with. His features were angular and sharp, as if he'd been cut from stone. Looking him over, she found him quite beautiful to look at. Judging by the look in his intense eyes, the feeling was mutual. He quickly collected himself and smiled shyly at her. She nodded in acknowledgment, eyeing him carefully.

"Sorry to disturb you, Princess. It's just that the others are getting antsy. They want to get a move on, but we're still waiting for Pocahontas, too."

"Please, call me Kida." She responded lightly.

He nodded, chuckling a little. "Sorry, I know. You told us earlier. I... I just wanted to be polite."

Kida smirked at his nervousness. "And what is your name?"

"Tarzan." He held out a hand for her to shake.

She looked at it strangely.

Tarzan realized his mistake and laughed at himself. "Sorry, uh... It's a handshake. You, uh... You grab my hand with yours."

She slowly followed his instructions.

"And you shake it, like this." He finished, moving her hand up and down in his firm yet gentle grasp. "See? It's a way we humans greet each other."

"Fascinating... So personal." Kida commented as she continued the handshake experimentally.

Tarzan smiled as he watched her. "Yeah, a lot of us don't have much regard for personal space. And when you're on ships all the time with a lot of people...um..." He trailed off as she began to move her hand so that her palm faced him and her fingers pointed toward the sky. He naturally moved his hand in the same way so that their hands were pressed together. He watched her awed look and said, "It seems that Atlanteans and humans aren't so different, huh?"

She looked at him for a moment, then pulled her hand away. Tarzan did the same, crossing his wiry arms over his chest.

"She never came back?" Kida asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry?"

"Pocahontas. She hasn't returned yet?"

Tarzan shook his head. "Kenai says she's meditating in the jungle. Apparently it would be dangerous to snap her out of it."

"We cannot go on without her... And I cannot leave things like this between us. I must speak to her when she gets back." Kida hung her head shamefully. "If only I had known before, I could have helped her and so many others... I could have made my father do something."

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Tarzan said quietly.

"Who else is there to blame? My father is dead. And now I must fix his mistakes." Kida felt a tear slip down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. "It is silly... With all this going on, and the lives of so many at stake, I still can't stop thinking of him... I know that he made some wrong decisions, but...he grew to be wise, and..." Kida choked, breaking down again. "And he was my father and I loved him."

Tarzan sat by for a moment, watching her cry. Then, he said, "I know how you feel."

"You lost your father?" She sniffed.

"I lost both of my parents, when I was younger."

"We lost mother when I was very young... When the Heart turned on us... Father blamed himself for her death every day for the rest of his life..." Kida recalled regretfully. She looked up toward the sky. "Sometimes I wonder if she can see me, what she would say. What she would want me to do to make things right."

"I think she would trust that you already know how to make things right."

Kida looked at him in slight surprise.

Tarzan ducked his head. "Sorry, I spoke out of turn..."

"No, it is alright. Actually..." Kida smiled slightly. "I really appreciate it."

Tarzan nodded and thoughtfully continued, "I think that your parents would be proud of your actions so far, and that they know you will go on to do great things for your people. And I also think they would want you not to dwell of the past and focus on building a brighter future."

"It's just so hard, with how long we live... I'm sure I had my father with me for the equivalent of 100 human lifetimes. He and I were the only constants in one another's lives after mother died... Now that he's gone..." She paused and shrugged. "It's like I can't imagine how to move on without him by my side. How am I supposed to follow in his footsteps?"

"Don't. Create your own path. Be the kind of ruler that _you _want to be." Tarzan told her after a moment of thought.

Kida couldn't help smiling at him. "Have you always been so wise?"

"No wise man has always been wise." Tarzan smirked. "It takes making a lot of mistakes to be able to give such good advice."

Kida laughed quietly. "Well, if you want a job as a royal advisor, you've got it. I don't know how to even begin fixing things."

"We begin to ridding your planet of the pirates."

She nodded. "Yes, that does seem important, doesn't it?"

"For what it's worth, I think you'll make a great ruler."

"Why's that?"

"Your compassion."

When she gave him a curious look, Tarzan explained, "I don't think I've met another princess who cared so much for her subjects. You were so hurt by Pocahontas's words that you had to leave to conceal your supposed weakness. But you shouldn't be afraid to let them see you cry. They need to know that you feel their pain."

Kida nodded in understanding. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Tarzan pursed his lips for a moment. Watching his expression, Kida could tell that a few thoughts came to mind, but he didn't know where to begin or if he should even say any of it. Eventually, he mumbled, "Well, nothing that seems very appropriate right now..."

Kida laughed aloud at his blushing cheeks. He smiled at her despite his embarrassment.

"Can we get a move on? Pocahontas is back!" Amelia called up to them.

Kida felt sick to her stomach and looked to Tarzan for reassurance. He gave her a firm nod and started to climb down to meet the others. After taking a deep breath, Kida followed him.

Everyone was already packed up and ready to move on when Kida and Tarzan returned. Kida quickly scanned the crowd until she saw Pocahontas talking to Kenai and Amelia nearby. Kida put on a brave face and walked over to them. Pocahontas noticed her coming and excused herself from the Captain to approach Kida. Everyone turned to watch as the two women met in the middle and awkwardly looked at each other.

"Pocahontas, about everything-" Kida started.

"It is I who should apologize to you." Pocahontas cut in, catching Kida by surprise. Pocahontas sighed. "I have been in conference with the Great Spirits since my outburst. I realize now that it is wrong of me to blame you for your father's actions. And I know that Kashekim was a good man, but... After everything that my people have gone through, we always found peace by having someone to blame. I know now that that is wrong. We must now choose a peaceful path. Instead of remaining divided, we must make the effort to work together and make this planet a home for both sides."

Kida nodded in agreement. "Yes. I promise you no more seperation, from this point on. Your people should have been considered Atlanteans the moment your ancestors set foot on this planet. I know that you were neglected in the past, but no more. I promise you, I will make it right."

"_We _will make it right." Pocahontas said with a soft smile.

Kida grinned and stuck out her hand for Pocahontas to shake. Pocahontas stared at her if she'd grown a second head. Kida reached the hand over to grab Pocahontas' and shook it vigorously. Pocahontas wore a comically confused expression.

"It is a handshake." Kida explained and laughed. "Apparently, on your ancestors' home planet, it is a way of greeting."

Pocahontas stared at their joined hands in wonder. Kida turned to smile at Tarzan, who returned the gesture.

"Okay, then! Let's get a move on! I doubt that Hook and his crew will wait around for us much longer." Amelia ordered the group, already plunging ahead into the trees. Everyone quickly followed the Captain into the jungle.

"Tarzan and Kida, sitting in a tree..." Adam whispered in a sing-songey fashion as he and Merida walked behind his older brother.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Merida finished, and they both began to laugh.

Tarzan rolled his eyes and muttered, "Since when are you two friends?"

Merida and Adam both scoffed and said, "We're not."

_**The Legacy...**_

"What does she want you for so bad?" Peter hissed at Rapunzel while they sat in the darkened engineering room.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "She's my psychotic mother. She wants me to come home with her."

"But your 18 now, right? She can't force you to." Audrey whispered.

"Try telling her that." Rapunzel sighed. "Now you're all in danger because of me. I can't believe she actually went this far to get me back."

"Hey, she doesn't have you yet." Jim said.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Alice agreed.

Rapunzel looked around at the group in surprise. "You guys really want to help me?"

"Rapunzel, your mother is obviously unstable. We can't just let her take you back." Wendy said.

"Besides, you're one of us now. If you want to stay with the crew, you should be able to." Arthur added.

Rapunzel smiled at them all. "Thanks, guys..." Her brow soon furrowed in worry. "But how do we deal with my mom and those thugs?"

Peter opened his mouth to speak and Rapunzel quickly cut him off.

"Without killing anyone."

Peter sat back and crossed his arms, seeming stumped.

"Look, we just need to get them off the ship, and take off to find the others for help." Jim said. He turned to Audrey and said, "You'll need to be on standby down here."

Audrey nodded and said, "I'll need help."

"I'll stay here with you." Taran offered.

"Good... And Mowgli, once we get Rat free, you need to meet him in the rigging. Peter and I will help you guys up there." Jim looked around at the others. "The rest of you will need to be on call to do whatever Eric needs for a safe take-off... I guess we need a team to keep Rapunzel's mom and the Ugly Twins off the ship."

"It's my fault they're here. I'll do it." Rapunzel said solemnly.

"I'll help you." Arthur said. "And I think Naveen will, too."

"Good, okay... Now there's just _how _to do it..." Jim muttered, running a hand through his bangs. "Where are they now?"

"The woman and one of the brothers are in the galley with their hostages: Eric, Esmeralda, Naveen, Rat, Dr. Doppler, and Tiana. The other brother is guarding the deck." Wendy said.

Jim nodded along, seeming to put something together in his mind. "Right... Okay. I think I have something. It's a long shot... He's a big guy, but if we group up I think we can take him."

"So we're handling the guy on the deck first?" Mowgli asked.

Jim nodded at him. "And you'll be in charge of that. I think some fancy rope-work will do the trick."

"And then we'll lure the other two on the deck! Get them out in the open to give us the advantage." Alice said.

"We'll need a distraction..." Rapunzel said. "That'll be my job."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Arthur asked.

"Gothel will only come to us if she knows I'm really there." Rapunzel replied calmly, though on the inside she was trembling. If things went wrong... She couldn't think of it. This had to be done. "Yes, I'm sure."

"And how do we get them off the ship, while also keeping the first guy off?" Wendy asked nervously.

"One of us will have to sneak away to free the others in the galley..." Jim looked at Alice now. "You're pretty good at sneaking around. You game?"

Alice nodded dutifully. "Yes. Yes, I am...game?"

Jim smirked. "Okay, then." He noticed Peter glaring at him and rolled his eyes. "What?"

"I'm just a little offended you didn't ask me to do the sneaking." Peter grouched.

"You and Tink will both be more useful in the fight, especially if things get bad..." Jim looked over at Wendy. "Amelia and Eric have been giving you flying lessons, right? You know how the ship works?"

Wendy blushed a little. "Well, yes, but I'm not great..."

"All you have to do is get the ship started once we get the helm clear, and wait there until Eric comes to steer us out of there." Jim told her.

Wendy nodded. "I-I think I can do that. I mean, _yes. _Yes, I can do that." She put on a brave face despite her obvious nervousness, earning an admiring glance from Peter.

"Okay, we have a plan... A very loose plan. I think we can do this! But first, we have to sneak up to the deck without alerting the people in the galley, or tipping off the guy up top." Jim muttered.

"Traveling in a group might be a bad idea, then. And we should take different routes." Arthur strategized.

"There are three different ways up to the deck... So we'll split up into three teams and go one at a time each way." Mowgli said.

"Brilliant!" Alice smiled.

Rapunzel grinned at them all. "Thank you guys so much. I think now I know what a _real _family feels like."

"No problem, Punzie. If someone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us." Peter grinned. Tink chittered in agreement.

"Okay, we can't wait any longer. We should go now." Jim said. They all stood up and began splitting into teams: Jim, Peter and Tink; Alice, Wendy and Mowgli; Arthur and Rapunzel. Taran and Audrey stayed behind. Audrey gave Jim a quick hug before he headed out.

Before leaving, Wendy turned to Taran and Audrey and said, "Once I see Alice go to free Eric, I'll let you know over the comm to start things up."

Audrey nodded and said, "Good luck."

"You, too." Wendy turned and left with her group.

It was a slow-going and anxiety-riddled task to get up to the deck in the way they had devised. They all managed to make it and found hiding spots on the deck of the ship, where they could all easily see one of the men lounging at the helm, seeming bored out of his mind. Peter and Jim went to join Mowgli in the rigging, carefully climbing when they were sure the thug couldn't see them. Wendy and Alice huddled behind a crate across from where they could see the boys and Tink in the ropes. Across the deck, Rapunzel and Arthur were clinging to the outside of the ship and peeking onto the deck through the railing.

Alice glanced nervously toward the man at the helm and whispered to Wendy, "What if he has a gun?"

"I think Gothel's the only one with a gun..."

"You _think? _"

"I'm fairly certain, yes. She's the only one I've seen with a gun. The two men have only had knives, from what I've seen."

Alice sighed. "I really hope that's the case..."

There was a slight commotion on the mast and the girls looked up to see that the main sail had been released. The thug jumped to attention and stared up at the miraculously opened sail, starting to walk down to the deck. Wendy spotted the three boys clinging precariously to the back of the sail. Thankfully, the sail was of a very thick canvas, and the sun shone from the thug's side of the sail, so their shadows weren't visible to him. This was obviously their means of luring the man into whatever trap Mowgli had come up with.

"Here we go..." Alice whispered as they watched the man walk toward the center of the deck.

Suddenly, Tink swooped down from her hiding place in the brim of Peter's cap and flitted about in front of the man's face, screeching nonsensically and grabbing or biting at whatever part of him she could. He shouted and swung wildly to swat her away, but she was too fast. While Tink distracted him, Mowgli climbed back out into the rigging and dropped a lasso of rope down to the deck, right in front of the man's feet. Tink lead the enraged thug forward until he had stepped into the loop of rope. Mowgli gave the rope one quick tug and the lasso tightened around the man's ankle, trapping him. Before the man had time to react, Mowgli released the rope trap he'd set up and the man was wrenched upward and flung off the ship in a catapult-fashion. His surprised yell rang through the air until he landed with a crash into the trees.

Everyone on the deck leapt from their hiding places and cheered. Then they heard indistinct shouting from below the deck and got into position. Wendy and Alice both went back into hiding so they could sneak away later without Gothel or her sidekick looking for them.

Rapunzel ran to the door and screamed downward, "Come get me, mother! I'm up here!" She ran back toward the rest of the group on the deck.

Within moments, Gothel and their first victims twin brother stomped up the stairs to the deck to be greeted by the group of kids. Mowgli remained in the rigging, working wildly to ready the ship for take-off. Once Wendy was sure she was out of the villains' lines of sight, she began to sneak up to the helm. Alice waited patiently for her chance to spring into action.

"Oh, you are a tricky one, aren't you?" Gothel mocked Rapunzel. "Making all these poor people believe that I'm some horrible, abusive monster that you're just trying to escape from? Honestly, Rapunzel, how could you get them all wrapped up in this? And how could you abandon your poor mother in such a way?" Gothel tisked. "So selfish."

Rapunzel glared back at the woman, who showed a peculiarly significant agedness since the last time she saw her. Rapunzel shook her head and said, "Just leave them alone, mother. It's me you want, right? You don't have to threaten anyone else. I'll go with you."

Gothel rolled her eyes. "Stupid girl. You're obviously not planning to go willingly, or you and your little friends wouldn't have gone to such lengths to throw my henchman off the ship."

"Henchman?" The other thug growled.

"Hush, you." Gothel hissed at him. She narrowed her eyes at Rapunzel. "You can't seriously be planning to put up a fight. Enough of this foolishness, Rapunzel! You know that mother knows best. Just come along and no one has to get hurt."

Rapunzel shook her head again, her glare turning into a look of hatred. "I'm not going _anywhere _with you."

Gothel sighed. "Alright. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She pulled out her gun and aimed it at Arthur, who stood next to Rapunzel protectively.

Suddenly, another lasso shot down from the rigging and snapped shut around the gun. It was pulled out of Gothel's hand before she could blink. She turned a venomous look up toward Mowgli, who brandished the gun now. He disarmed it and tossed the pieces into the bird's nest.

"No guns! No one is going to die here!" Mowgli called, threateningly wielding another lasso.

Gothel whispered to her thug, "Watch out for him... Let's get the others." She and the man started to walk toward the kids. The man pulled out his knife with a malicious smirk.

"Get the knife away from him. Then it's just a matter of stalling until the others get here." Jim told the others when he spotted Alice running toward the door.

Gothel lunged toward Rapunzel, grabbing the slim girl by the arm while her cohort warded Arthur off with his knife. When Tink swooped in to distract the man, Peter, Jim and Arthur worked together to get the knife away from him. Rapunzel wrestled with Gothel, letting the older woman think she had the upper hand while she subtly lead her toward the edge of the ship. After a tense moment of grappling with the thug, Peter managed to kick the knife out of his hand. It skidded across the wooden floor and was left forgotten while the man angrily attacked the boys with his giant hands. Peter urged Jim to go meet Mowgli while he, Arthur and Tink started pushing the thug toward the edge, where Rapunzel was trying to tear herself out of Gothel's grip and shove her over the edge.

Alice returned to the deck with the other crew members. At this point, the ship hummed with energy from the awakened engines and Wendy's preparation for take-off. Rat followed Jim up to the ropes while Eric ran to take over the helm and the others went to help the kids get rid of the intruders. Within a few moments, the thug was thrown overboard. Gothel was flung down after him, but she stubbornly gripped Rapunzel's hair to keep from falling. Rapunzel screamed in pain as Gothel's fingers tangled in her hair and threatened to pull her off the ship as well. The others quickly grabbed onto Rapunzel to keep her from going over, creating this horrible pressure in the girl's head.

"I didn't come all this way for nothing!" Gothel snarled, pulling with all her strength to try and force Rapunzel to fall. "You're coming with me, whether you like it or not!"

Rapunzel shook her head and desperately fought to keep from falling overboard. "No! I don't care how many times you come after me, or how long you chase me for! I will _never _stop fighting to get away from you!" Rapunzel groaned and leaned back, lifting Gothel up slightly. Then, Gothel was struck across her face by Esmeralda's foot. Gothel screeched and slipped backward, falling to the ground. The others quickly pulled Rapunzel and her hair away from the edge of the ship, all breathing heavily.

"Rapunzel... That mama of yours...is a real piece of work." Tiana panted.

"Ready for take-off?" Eric called from the helm.

"What about the villagers?" Naveen asked.

"I think they've got it covered..." Dr. Doppler mumbled. They all turned to see a mass of angry villagers chasing Gothel and her cronies into the jungle.

"Besides, we need to get to Amelia and the others, and the holophone is busted!" Eric called, already taking the ship into the air. "We have to go find them, ASAP!"

_**In The Jungle...**_

The journey to find the pirates and the Heart of Atlantis was proving to be more difficult than the crew of the _Legacy _had previously expected. Tempers began to run hot as they searched and searched through the jungle with not even a clue as to where Hook and his crew could be.

"You'd think that something as powerful as the Heart would be easier to find..." Amelia muttered as she led her tired crew onward. She turned to Pocahontas and asked, "Are you sensing anything?"

Pocahontas shook her head. "No."

"This is hopeless! Look, Hook wants something from us, right? It's the whole reason he lured us to this planet. Let's just try to get them to come to us!" Meg snapped.

"And how do you suppose we do that, Megara?" Amelia demanded icily.

An argument soon broke out amongst the group. Kida turned away as everyone shouted at one another, trying to think of a plan. Then, a faint whisper caught her attention. She turned in the direction that she thought the voice had come from, but there was no one there. Another voice spoke in her other ear, as if someone were standing right next to her and speaking. Kida whirled toward the voice, but the space beside her was empty. Kida flinched when a few voices started to speak at once, a low thrum of sound that seemed to rumble deep within her and echo all around. Kida turned to the others in confusion as the voices multiplied and grew to a crescendo, wondering how none of them could be hearing them. They all continued to argue, but Kida could no longer hear their shouting over the Atlantean being spoken in her head.

It was then that Kida realized that she was the only one who could hear because the voices were only speaking to her.

In an instant, the sound was coming from one distinct direction and Kida turned to it, entranced. The trees seemed to move aside, clearing a path for her that was illuminated by blue light. Kida moved like a puppet toward the light.

"Uh...guys?" Sinbad called to the others as he watched the trees seem to bend to Kida's will.

Everyone turned to see Kida slowly walking away from them, on a straight and purposeful path to something they couldn't see. They hesitantly began to follow, slightly alarmed when the trees moved back into place behind the group as they passed.

"What's she doing?" Phoebus muttered.

Hercules walked forward until he was in step beside Kida, peering curiously at the princess's face. Kida wore a placid expression, but her eyes had gone entirely milky white and seemed fixed on something straight ahead. Hercules followed her gaze, but saw nothing.

"She's in some kind of trance..." Hercules explained as he let Kida move ahead of him again. "It's like something is...calling to her. Something the rest of us can't see or hear."

"The Heart." Milo realized. "She's taking us right to it!"

"Then what happens to her when she finds it?" Jane asked in concern.

"Whatever is meant to happen." Amelia replied solemnly.

They walked on in eerie silence for awhile, anxiously waiting for Kida to make some change in direction. But the path remained straight and Kida led them through parted trees with a calm and purposeful stride.

Eventually, a strange sound started to reach their ears and the crystal around Kida's neck started to hover upward until it floated in front of her blank face and glowed blue. The noise was like a pulsating hum, with the barely heard but easily recognizable sound of whispering voices underlying it.

"We must be getting close." John whispered.

Then, another voice, very loud and clear and angry, rang out through the trees up ahead.

"Would you get control of that damned thing?!" Hook growled. "Why's it acting like that any way?!"

"Don't ask me! Rourke and Helga are supposed to be the experts here!" Ursula snapped in response, her voice strained.

"Just get it under control!" Rourke yelled.

"Maleficent and I are doing the best we can, you-!" Ursula shrieked.

"Captain! The trees!" Smee cried.

The cluster of trees that had seperated the two crews now seemed to leap out of the way, granting Kida access to the Heart that hovered in the air, encircled by green energy that Ursula and Maleficent held it with under much stress. The Heart of Atlantis shone vibrantly, its blue light now expanding to a blinding radius. Maleficent and Ursula both finally lost control of it and it broke out of their holds, knocking them both back with a wave of energy. The rocks that floated around the Heart ( an array of stone slabs of all shapes and sizes, with faces carved into them) spun faster now as Kida drew nearer to it.

"Ssstop that girl!" Jafar hissed at Sadira, who ran forward and started to shift the earth under Kida's feet.

"No!" Tarzan and Milo both shouted. Tarzan ran forward to push Kida out of the way, but Clayton tackled him. In an instant, both crews had drawn their weapons and were aiming at each other.

"You don't know what you're meddling with, James!" Amelia hollered at Hook. "You don't know what's at stake here!"

"And you don't know what I'll do to get what I _really _want from you!" Hook spat back.

The ground beneath Kida's feet crumbled and fell away under Sadira's power, creating a dark chasm that threatened to swallow Kida. But, to everyone's amazement, Kida remained where she stood,walking on the air as if it were a solid path. A beam of light reached down from the Heart, beckoning Kida to walk into it.

Gaston rolled his eyes and aimed his shotgun at Kida's head. "Permission to shoot, Captain?"

"No! You idiots, the only way you'll be able to move your precious treasure is if she bonds to it!" Amelia snapped.

Hook looked at her, his eyes shining slightly with triumph. "Is that so?"

"Captain, what are you doing?" Phoebus whispered.

"Trust me." Amelia whispered back.

"Seems we finally have a way of controlling this thing." Hook told his crew. He looked at Gaston and Rourke and nodded toward the _Jolly Roger_, which was grounded a few yards away. "Get the box, huh?"

The two men stared in wonder as Kida stepped into the light, then scurried off to their ship. Everyone lowered their weapons and watched as the beam of light narrowed itself until it seemed to slice through the center of Kida's body, making her jump. Her eyes closed and her mouth parted slightly as the light lifted her limp form upward toward the Heart, which now seemed to glow brighter than the sun. Soon Kida was trapped inside the Heart while the stones that orbited it spun around at alarming speed, creating a whirring sound that grew piercing to the ears. The glow's radius grew and grew and soon became so blinding that most of those present had to look away or shield their eyes. After a moment, the glow faded away, and they all looked up to see that the giant orb of light had taken Kida's shape.

Kida, who was now completely crystalline blue, slowly hovered to the ground, which Sadira had returned to normal. Kida walked like an automaton toward the crowd of people, her form buzzing with an electrical energy of great magnitude. A woman from Hook's crew reached out to touch the princess as she walked by, seeming mesmerized.

Milo quickly jumped forward and said, "No, don't! Don't touch her!"

Clayton had pulled Tarzan up from the ground, and in his awe allowed Tarzan to wrestle himself out of his grip. Tarzan stared after the retreating Kida in shock, wanting to go after her but unsure what would happen if he did.

"Kida..." He whispered.

"Where's she going?" Helga demanded as Kida continued to walk away from them all, seemingly toward the jungle.

Amelia smirked. "She's going home."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Rourke growled. He lit his cigar and watched as Gaston slammed a large metal box into Kida's path and quickly opened the door. Kida walked right into the box, then paused when she sensed an obstruction. She turned slowly to walk back out, but Gaston had already slammed the door and was welding it shut. Through the little round window in the top of the steel door, Kida's haunting face could be seen. Then, a sheen of frosty crystal etched itself over the box and the window became foggy.

Immediately, weapons were drawn and aimed again by both crews.

"You know I can't let you leave with that, Hook." Amelia said. "We have you severely outnumbered. Surrender now."

"And you know that I don't give a damn about your numbers when I have such unimaginable power on my side." Hook said with a note of pride in his tone.

As if on cue, a good portion of his crew put away their weapons and decided to put their otherworldly powers on display. Maleficent stood protectively beside him and raised her arms, her yellow eyes gleaming. Her green skin began to glow and the black dragon printed on her sprang to life and loomed over them. Sadira shifted the earth to elevate herself above the others and raised a boulder into the sky, threatening to fling it at the crew of the _Legacy. _Ursula, Vanessa, Hades, Eris and Dr. Facilier all made a show of their own powers. Gaston chuckled maliciously and cracked his knuckles. Jafar stepped forward and hissed before spitting flames, creating a wall of fire between the two crews.

Hook smirked darkly at Amelia and said, "You can't win this, Porter... But I would be willing to make a trade."

"What?!" Rourke snarled.

Hook ignored him and casually scanned Amelia's group with his piercing eyes. He looked displeased for a split second before collecting himself and asking, "Where is that pesky sprite who accompanies one of your cabin boys?"

Amelia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What could you possibly want with Tinkerbell?"

"She has information that I sorely need."

"The survival of an entire civilization in return for a little sprite? Hardly seems like a fair trade." Amelia cocked her pistol.

"For me, it is more than fair." Hook said in mild annoyance.

Amelia tipped her head to one side in embellished curiosity. "And what is it Tink knows about that's so important to you?"

"You are wearing my patience quite thin, pussy cat." Hook took a step forward. The reflection of the flames over his pale eyes shone like hell fire. "Will you be handing over the sprite or not?"

"Well, obviously she's not with us right now. If you'd like to accompany us to our ship, I'll let you have a look around for her." Amelia replied haughtily.

Hook's lips twitched in thinly-concealed rage. Then, he lifted his head high and gave Amelia a flash of a smile. "No, I don't feel like having you turn me over to the Federation today. Instead, you can feel free to follow our ship. We'll be going on our way with the Princess..." His face took on a vengeful expression. "I hope you can catch up to us before we sell her off."

With a nod from Hook, Gaston started to lift the metal box over his head, preparing to carry Kida to the _Jolly Roger._

"Well, that's not happening." Phoebus muttered before firing his blaster gun at Gaston.

Gaston groaned unhappily and fell to one knee when he was shot, but the wound was only on the surface of his skin and quickly healed itself. Phoebus aimed to shoot again, but was struck in the shoulder by a shot from Rourke's gun when gunfire began to ring from both sides. Thankfully, Phoebus was wearing armor and was only momentarily winded. He quickly climbed back to his feet, knowing that his shoulder would be sore later. But now he had to jump back into action because a cyborg was attacking his Captain.

"Silver, you treasonous old slob! I should have known you would join up with scoundrels such as yourself." Amelia chided the cyborg as they dueled. Phoebus jumped in and used his sword to knock Silver's gun out of his hand, giving Amelia the advantage. But when she went to shoot at him, Silver raised his robot arm to block her fire. The metal was impenetrable and acted as a good shield from her blasters.

"Aye, Captain Porter! And they gave me a few upgrades!" Silver cackled in response.

Suddenly, Amelia's guns were wrenched out of her hands by a large, crab-like claw from overhead. Amelia unsheathed her sword and whirled around to come face to face with a fearsome alien creature looming over her. With one monstrous claw he knocked her to the side, but she somersaulted and slid into a defensive crouch, brandishing her sword. The creature perched on his eight spider-like legs and sneered at her through sharpened teeth at the end of a long snout, his serpentine eyes bulging out of his head.

"And what about me, Captain?" The alien growled in a low, raspy voice. "Have you missed me as well?"

Amelia stood up and John and Phoebus jumped to either side of her.

"Honestly, Scroop? I can't say I've given you much thought since I got rid of you." Amelia replied.

Scroop snarled and leapt forward to attack along with Silver, whose metal body parts offered him excessive strength and speed.

"Amelia!" Jane cried, running to help her sister.

"Jane, wait!" Mr. Porter called after her.

"I'll get her!" Belle assured him before running after Jane. Belle quickly caught up to her friend and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her just in time before a tall, lanky woman in an extravagant fur coat stepped into their path. The two young women backed away slowly as the strange woman, whose hair was half black and half white, chuckled and aimed her pistol at them. Another older woman stood nearby and smirked at the stand-off, and two other young (and fairly unfortunate-looking) women stood with her and sneered.

The woman in the fur coat smirked at them over her shoulder and waved her gun nonchalantly toward Belle and Jane. "They're quite lovely, aren't they, ladies?"

"Yes. Very beautiful." The older woman drawled. The two girls by her side rolled their eyes and unhappily crossed their arms.

"So pretty it makes me sick." One of the girls, who had dark hair, spat angrily.

"Oh, let me do something about that, Drizella." The woman with the black-and-white hair replied with a devilish grin, cocking her gun in Jane's direction.

"No!" Belle cried, shoving Jane out of the way when a shot rang out.

"Belle!" Jane screamed in fear of her friend being shot.

In the blink of an eye, Hercules stood in front of Belle, shielding her from the bullet. The small metal object crumpled like tin against his indestructible skin and fell to the jungle floor uselessly.

The woman's eyebrows popped up. "Impressive."

The older woman who stood by with the two girls rolled her eyes and drawled, "Quit gawking, Cruella."

The woman in the fur coat- Cruella- stowed her gun, lifted her fingers to her mouth and let out a loud, piercing whistle. Hercules ushered Belle and Jane away when he spotted Gaston sprinting in their direction. The girls ducked behind some rocks and watched as the two giant men clashed violently together. Cruella laughed wickedly and led the other three women away to fight somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Pocahontas and Kenai were crouching in some bushes and arguing quietly while the battle raged on around them.

"Pocahontas, we have to help them fight!" Kenai insisted.

"No! There has to be another way..." Pocahontas said, shaking her head. She was conflicted by her longing for justice and her non-violent nature. Despite the pirates' crimes, who was she- who were any of them to take a life and call it justice? No, she wouldn't kill anyone. If only these people would see reason. Maybe a deal could still be worked out...

"What have we here?"

Kenai immediately pulled out his hunting knife and turned to stab the pirate who loomed over their hiding spot, casting them in shadow. But Kenai froze when the long barrel of a blaster gun was stuck under his chin and pressed against his throat. The man on the other end of the gun was a tall, heavyset man with long black hair done in ribbons. He dressed in a surprisingly regal manner, like some English aristocrat.

"A couple of savages hiding out like rats?" He sneered down at them, threateningly pushing Kenai back with the gun. Kenai hit his head on a rock and slumped to the ground in a daze. Pocahontas ran to his side and glared back up at the pirate without a response. The man looked down at her with a cold, spiteful gaze. He tilted his head to one side and mockingly asked, "Do you not speak English?"

"We will not fight you." Pocahontas stated stubbornly.

"Good. This will be over with quickly, then." The man said, taking aim at Kenai first.

Pocahontas threw herself over Kenai to shield him, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation of the blast. The shot rang out, making her wince. But she felt nothing. Pocahontas turned and looked up to see that the shot had been misdirected into the air when John Smith used the hilt of his sword to knock the man out. The pirate lay unconscious on the ground between John and the two natives.

Pocahontas looked slightly confused. "You did not kill him."

John shook his head. "I am neither judge nor executioner. It's not what I'm here to do." John kneeled down to take the man's weapons. "There are better ways to handle things."

Pocahontas couldn't help being surprised by these words. These sailors were truly nothing like she'd expected.

"Take Kenai further into the jungle and care for him. Don't let him fall asleep with that head injury." John instructed her politely as he stood back up.

"No, I should-"

She was cut off when another pirate- dressed all in yellow, ran over and tried to shoot John in the back of the head. John ducked out of the way and whirled around to kick the man in the gut, buying some time before the next attack.

"John!" Pocahontas called, jumping to her feet.

"Take Kenai and go!" John responded before sheathing his sword and running to grapple with the man over his shotgun.

Pocahontas was reluctant to do what he said at furst, now wanting to jump in and make sure no harm came to the crew that was fighting so valiantly to save her planet. But then she looked down at Kenai and realized that he was slipping away. She scrambled to get ahold of him and dragged him away into the bushes. Once she felt they were far enough away to be safe but still hear what was happening, she laid Kenai down on the soft ground and went searching for medicinal herbs, or foliage to wrap his head with.

Amelia hadn't wanted to admit it, but Hook was right. It was becoming apparent that her crew didn't stand a chance against his, which held powers far beyond what she'd been expecting. Where the hell did he pick up his recruits? Right now she faced off with the man himself, caught in an epic swordfight. Amelia was an even match for him, but he was ruthless and bore down on her unrelentingly. And Amelia found herself distracted by how the rest of her crew suffered. Even Hercules, who was easily the most powerful on her ship, was falling at the hands of Gaston. Maleficent, Hades and Jafar had the perimeter of the arena swathed in flame, making it impossible for anyone else to get out. Ursula, Eris and Vanessa were doing their fair share of damage while Sadira tried to bury a group of Amelia's sailors under heavy rocks and tons of dirt.

It was starting to seem that they would not win this fight.

Then, the _Legacy _herself flew in overhead. Eric brought her down a little and released the boarding ramp.

"If any of Hook's crew try to board, shoot them!" Eric ordered the people on the deck- Jim, Peter, Taran, Arthur, Naveen, Tiana, Esmeralda and Dr. Doppler- who were leaning over the side of the ship with their guns loaded and aimed.

"Phasers set to stun!" Jim called back.

"Their's won't be! Do not miss!" Eric responded. He looked up to see Rapunzel, Mowgli and Rat keeping busy in the rigging. Wendy and Alice were helping Audrey in the engineering room.

Dr. Sweet noticed Tiana firing a warning shot at Dr. Facilier when he made a move for the boarding ramp. The man was easily warded off. Dr. Sweet cheered, "That's my girl!"

"We have to get Kida on the ship and take her back!" Milo said.

"I'll help." Tarzan volunteered. Adam and Merida agreed.

"Gaston! Quit playing with your freak friend and let's get out of here! Get the box onto the ship!" Rourke ordered the behemoth.

Gaston left the severely enervated Hercules lying on the ground and headed toward the box that held Kida. Hercules started climbing to his feet to follow him, but by now Hades and Eris had recognized him and were coming to have their long-sought revenge. Belle watched uneasily as the two pirates advanced on Hercules, who was struggling to stand.

"They'll kill him... We have to do something." Belle told Jane.

"What can we do? You saw what those two were doing out there! We can't possibly match up." Jane said regretfully.

"We don't have to match up, we just have to distract them long enough for Herc to get a second wind." Belle said, a devious look coming to her hazel eyes.

"Belle, it's too dangerous. Your father would never forgive me if I let you do it!" Jane argued worriedly.

At this time, Milo, Tarzan, Adam and Merida had snuck over to join Belle and Jane in their hiding place. Milo glanced toward where Hades and Eris had begun their torturous attack on Hercules, who was doing his best not to fall.

"Hercules is the only one of us who can carry that box... Even if a group of us try to do it, we'll be completely vulnerable to attack. If Hercules gets Kida, we can fend off the pirates long enough for him to get her on the ship." Milo told the two women.

Belle smirked at Jane. "Well, now we have no choice but to help."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Right. Then what do you suppose we do?"

Belle glanced around for anything to help. Then, she noticed small stones lying around in all directions. Belle grinned and told Milo, "Jane and I will throw stones at Hades and Eris until they come after us. The rest of you get Hercules to the box and give him whatever help he needs."

"I'll stay with you, lassies." Merida said, already notching an arrow in her bow. "Yer stones cannae do more damage than my arrows."

Belle nodded gratefully at her.

"Are you being serious?" Adam demanded. "Where are you going to go once they come after you?"

"We'll lure them into the jungle and try to lose them." Belle responded calmly, grabbing a handful of stones from the ground.

"Hades is bound to burn down the whole jungle looking for you..." Tarzan said.

"You're going to get yourselves killed!" Adam snapped.

Belle rolled her eyes. "I'm getting very tired of men not trusting me. Just _go. _It shouldn't even matter what happens to us as long as Hercules gets Kida on the ship."

"And we better move fast." Milo said, directing their attentions toward where Gaston was lifting the metal box off the ground and starting to carry it toward the _Jolly Roger._

"Go on, then!" Jane urged the guys as she plucked up her own pile to stones.

"Belle-" Adam started to argue further, but Merida cut him off.

"Have a little faith, boy-o. We got this." She stood up and took aim, knowing that her arrows may not pierce the aliens' skin, but they'd certainly be cause for annoyance.

Adam hesitated to leave, but at the insistence of Tarzan and Milo, he groaned in frustration and ran off with the others.

"Now!" Belle told Jane and Merida. On cue, all three of them released their onslaught of projectiles at Hades and Eris. As the stones and arrows bounced harmlessly off of them, the two pirates turned to glare at their hidden attackers. Hades sighed and raised his hand. A stream of blue flame surged from his palm, threatening to burn the girls to a crisp. The three of them ducked down behind their rock to avoid the fire.

"We'll get to them later." Hades said ominously. Eris smirked at him.

When the two of them turned back to finish Hercules, they were unpleasantly surprised to see that he'd disappeared. They turned to see him limping away with Milo, Tarzan and Adam, heading straight toward Gaston.

"Hey! Wonder Brat!" Hades shouted, racing after him. "You can't just-"

Hercules turned and met Hades with a solid punch in the jaw, sending him flying back. Eris ran to his side while Hercules stalked off, seeming to be gaining energy. Hades sat there, stunned, as Hercules walked away from him. Then, he felt another stone bounce off his head. He growled in anger, his flames starting to glow red. He turned toward the three girls who hid behind the rock and told Eris in a low, dangerous tone, "Do everything you can to stop him. He's not getting away that easy."

"What are you going to do?" Eris asked as they both stood up.

Hades was already stomping toward the girls, who were still flinging stones and firing arrows at him even as he approached.

"I'll be back." He assured Eris, his voice shaking with rage. Then, the entirety of him burned red and he roared in rage, sending a wave of powerful fire toward the girls. Jane, Belle and Merida quickly ran to hide in the jungle, and Hades didn't hesitate to follow. Soon, the girls were trapped in an inferno with the bloodthirsty Hades as the jungle was lit up by his flames.

Eris went after Hercules, but was blocked from him by Milo, Adam and Tarzan, who were all trying to scare her off with their guns. Eris chuckled ruefully and fired back at them with waves of black energy that they carefully avoided. The three men managed to distract her and temporarily lead her off Hercules' trail when she realized she wouldn't be able to reach him until they were out of the way. Eris exchanged blows with the three humans while Hercules continued to run after Gaston.

Meanwhile, Jazz was desperately prying up rocks that Sadira was trying to trap Flynn and Aladdin under. She used her claws to climb over the mound of stones and lift them or shove them away to free her friends. Whenever Sadira tried to crush her with another rock or smother her with dirt, Jazz scurried out of the way too quickly for Sadira to realize.

Jafar watched her movements for a moment, his snake eyes gleaming in recognition. He slowly approached Jazz with an eerie calm. Jazz noticed him coming and became panicked. She immediately recognized Jafar when they got here; He was once her father's advisor back on Agrabah. Before he was found out for corruption and murder and banished from the planet, along with Sadira. Sadira didn't seem to realize who Jazz was, but Jafar had a look in his eyes that made her skin crawl.

Jazz pulled out her gun and aimed at him, but it was suddenly pulled out of her grip by some invisible force. She turned in shock to see her gun fly to Vanessa's waiting grasp. Without hesitation, Jazz pulled out her sword, but then it was wrenched out of her grasp in the same way in the opposite direction. On the other side of her, Ursula cackled and tossed the sword away. Jafar gestured lazily to the two women and they went off to fight another battle. Jazz stumbled back in fear as Jafar quickly scaled his way up to her. As a last defense, she tried to use her claws to slice him across the snout, but he easily caught her hands in his own and held them together. Sadira created an unbreakable binding using some rock around both of Jazz's hands. Jafar then wrapped his clawed fingers around Jazz's throat and lifted her up off the ground.

"I know you from ssssomewhere..." He hissed as he looked her over.

Jazz choked and gasped for air. "No..."

"Yessss... I do." He rasped, opening his jaw to reveal a ball of flame coming to life at the back of his throat. Jazz's eyes widened in terror as she realized he was about to burn her alive.

A shot rang out and Jafar screeched, dropping Jasmine and falling to one knee to cover his injured foot. Jasmine looked up to see Esmeralda giving her a thumbs-up from the ship, the barrel of her gun still smoking. Sadira immediately started flinging a barrage of large stones at the _Legacy. _Some stones struck the ship, but most were destroyed by the crew's blaster guns. Jafar stood up, enraged and ready to kill Jazz. She used the rock encasing her hands as a weapon and cracked it over his head. The rock broke apart and Jafar crumbled again, but stubbornly rose to his feet. Jazz let out a battle cry as the two of them fought hand-to-hand (and foot-to-foot). Her panic had been overtaken by adrenaline and her years of agility came back to her as she fought to survive, expertly using her claws to protect herself. Whenever Jafar tried to spray her with flame, she leapt or rolled out of the way and kept her focus. He was not going to win this fight. She had to defeat him if she was going to free Aladdin... And Flynn, of course.

Hercules finally caught up to Gaston and tackled him, knocking the metal box out of his grasp. The box bounced a few times, then rolled a number of yards away. Gaston growled and shoved Hercules off of him, trying to get back to the box. But Hercules came up from behind him and grabbed him by the neck, wrangling him backward. The two wrestled for a few moments before Gaston lost his temper. Gaston grabbed Hercules with both hands, lifted him up over his head, and threw him away. Hercules bounced and rolled in the same fashion as the box had, but much more violently, tearing through the ground as he went. Gaston waited to see if Hercules would get up. When it didn't seem like it, he turned and started walking toward the box again.

Hercules slowly and painfully pulled himself up, but couldn't quite stand. He watched Gaston go for a moment, feeling helpless. He'd never faced an enemy he couldn't beat. How was he supposed to take this guy down? He looked around for help, but everyone was too busy fighting someone else. And a lot of his crew seemed close to losing. Hercules looked crestfallen toward the trees. Then, an idea came to him. He eagerly bounced to his feet and ran over to rip a tree out of the ground. Then, he went after Gaston.

"Hey!" He shouted.

Gaston rolled his eyes and turned to him, only to have Hercules swing the tree at him like a giant baseball bat. Gaston flew through the air with a loud, drawn-out yell and disappeared far into the jungle, out of sight. There was a faint crashing noise in the distant trees. Hercules grinned before dropping his tree and then sprinted toward the box.

Rourke and Helga stood stubbornly in front of their prize and fired their guns at him, but Hercules showed no response. The blasts didn't even hurt him or leave a mark on his skin. In fact, he seemed to gain more energy from the blasters, like he was drawing the lasers into his skin, which softly glowed. It only fortified his strength and urged him onward. Helga quickly realized that any attempt to take Hercules down with their weapons was futile and stepped out of the way. But Rourke stood his ground and continued to fire as Hercules closed in on him. Hercules reached up one hand to grip the gun in Rourke's hand, closing his palm over the barrel and crumpling the metal like paper within his fingers. Rourke angrily threw up one fist toward Hercules' face. Hercules quickly raised one arm and easily blocked the attack. A loud _crack _and Rourke's pained yell signaled that his arm had been broken upon the sudden contact with Hercules'.

Hercules smirked and used the same arm to sweep Rourke out of his path. Helga ran to Rourke's side as he lay on the ground a few yards away. Hercules didn't hesitate to grab the metal box with both hands and lift it over his head. He turned and started to jog with the box toward the boarding ramp of the _Legacy. _Seeing him run by with Kida gave the rest of the crew new hope and they started to head toward the ship after successfully fighting off the pirates.

"To the ship!" Hook ordered his crew. "We'll follow them in the air!"

"The fight's not over yet!" Amelia told her own crew as they scurried about the ship and prepared to take off. She and Phoebus ran up to the helm to see Eric waiting for them at the wheel. Amelia began to scold him, "What possessed you to disobey orders? Not that it isn't appreciated, but the villagers-" She got a clear look at Eric and raised her eyebrows. "Great Scott, what happened to you?"

Eric tried to look amused despite his own exhaustion and the seriousness of the situation. "Complications arose. I thought it best to come find you."

Amelia looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well... Good thinking. Not that we didn't have this handled, of course."

Eric grinned. "Of course, Captain."

Phoebus saw John bringing Pocahontas and Kenai aboard and said, "We need to take off now."

"No!" Hercules said, scanning the crowd on the deck. He cast worried eyes toward the blazing jungle. "Belle's not back yet."

"Jane's in there with her!" Milo cried. Wendy gasped and clung to her distraught father at the sound of this.

"And Merida..." Adam realized aloud with obvious dismay, earning slightly surprised looks from both of his brothers.

Amelia turned toward where the _Jolly Roger _was starting to lift off and preparing their canons. She felt her heart pound, worry for her sister clouding her mind. But she had almost 100 other lives to think about, as well. And a whole planet depending on them. Amelia groaned regretfully. "We can't wait! Eric, take us out of here, now!"

Eric immediately followed orders. "Aye, Captain."

"No, wait! Just let me run in and look for them! I can-" Hercules tried to argue.

"_Wait! _" A distant and very familiar voice shrieked from the treeline. Amelia immediately recognized it as Jane's voice and eagerly turned to see her, Belle and Merida sprinting out of the burning trees and toward the ship.

"Wait for us, please!" Belle called, equally excited and panicked. Jane and Merida were both screaming as they ran on either side of her. The crew cheered as the three women ran up the boarding ramp and onto the ship, covered in soot but seeming unharmed. Eric quickly pulled up the ramp and took off as fast as he dared toward the main city.

Amelia, Mr. Porter, Wendy, Hercules, Milo, Dr. Sweet, and Adam all hurried below deck to meet the girls, who were hacking and wheezing as they nearly collapsed. Dr. Sweet immediately began to examine them, worried about how much smoke might have filled their lungs. The Porters were fawning over Belle and Jane, ecstatic that the two girls had made it. Milo and Hercules kept their distance, but were obviously quite happy about it as well. Adam just stared at Merida in shock.

"How did you guys make it?" He demanded.

"Could ya' be less excited to see me if ya' tried?" Merida chided, then started coughing again.

Adam glanced at Belle, who was shuddering in Hercules' embrace. Adam shook his head and looked at Merida with eyes that betrayed his emotions: an inexplicable mixture of disappointment, jealousy, gratefulness, and amazement. "Really...how?"

Merida shrugged. "Belle used her book smarts to track down a river. We used the water to splash Hades until he was too weak to chase us. Then we escaped."

Adam turned to see Hercules gazing down at Belle with obvious admiration and wonder.

"You defeated Hades?" He asked her softly, stroking her ash-coated cheek with one large thumb.

Belle, though definitely proud of herself, still responded humbly, "Only temporarily."

Hercules grinned. "I will never doubt you again." He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Adam rolled his eyes and turned back to Merida, who wore a peculiarly unhappy expression.

"You girls should go with Dr. Sweet to the infirmary. The rest of us need to get back to the deck." Amelia cut in authoritatively.

Jane, who had the worst of the coughing, allowed herself to be led away. After sharing a short look with Adam, Merida followed. But Belle was hesitant to leave Hercules.

"I'll come find you if anything goes wrong. Don't you worry about me." He assured her. Belle smiled up at him before slipping out of his arms and following the others. Hercules noticed Adam glaring at him and turned away to follow the others up to the deck. Adam decided to head to engineering to help Audrey, with Merida being temporarily absent.

"They didn't seem to want to wait for Hades, Captain." Eric informed Amelia as she came to join him, Phoebus, John and Robin at the helm. "They're gaining on us fast. Should I go to top speed?"

Sensing the reluctance in his voice, Amelia took one look at the scanners and saw that the ship was already under much duress. If they pushed it now, they could be facing a blowout. She shook her head. "No..." She turned toward the deck and called, "Man the canons! They'll be attacking if they manage to catch up!" She turned to Hercules and Phoebus while John and Robin left to help with defense. "You two help Tarzan guard the box. Milo's trying to figure out how to free Kida as we speak. We just need to protect her long enough to get her into the city."

"We're leading those pirates right into the heart of the civilization, Captain." Phoebus said warily.

"Hopefully we can blast them out of the sky before that becomes a problem." Amelia replied.

Phoebus nodded and led Hercules toward where Tarzan and Milo stood by Kida's metal prison.

Hercules seemed intent to rip the box open with his bare hands, but Milo stopped him.

"Whatever material is coating the metal... It isn't natural. I don't think it's a good idea for anyone's skin to come in contact with it, even yours." Milo explained.

Hercules looked confused. "I carried it up here just fine."

"Well, that's not the same as trying to break through it, is it?" Milo asked peevishly.

Hercules raised his hands in surrender. "Point taken."

The roar of another engine filled their ears and the whole crew turned to see the _Jolly Roger _pulling up beside them. Hook could be heard shouting "_Fire! _" and large cannonballs came sailing toward the _Legacy. _Eric raised the defensive shield just in time, but the blasts diminished the shield's strength considerably.

Eric shook his head. "Captain, the shields can't take much more! Permission to speed up?"

"No!" Amelia called back.

Another round of cannon fire jostled the _Legacy _about.

"Would you return fire already?!" Amelia demanded of those manning the cannons.

"Fire!" John shouted, and they quickly obliged. Their cannons did much more damage to the _Jolly Roger,_ the smaller vessel in this battle. Even with their shield up, Hook's crew couldn't compete. Hook ordered Rourke to pull their ship up above the _Legacy. _They were going to try to board from overhead.

"Weapons out, folks!" Robin told the others, notching a flaming arrow into his bow and aiming upward. Everyone followed suit with their own weapons and began to fire as Hook's crew descended upon them. Rourke left Cruella at the helm and dropped down onto the deck of the _Legacy, _moving feverishly to retrieve his prize with Gaston and Helga at his side. Rourke carried with him a sturdy chain that reached from the bottom of the _Jolly Roger, _prepared to clip the end of it around a metal loop at the top of the box that held Kida.

Hercules quickly diverted Gaston while Phoebus and Helga began to fight. Rourke faced off with Tarzan and Milo (who was obviously out of his depth but still put on a brave face).

"You folks have officially pissed me off." Rourke growled, pulling out his pistol and aiming it at Tarzan's head.

"Look out!" Milo cried when he saw Rourke's finger twitch on the trigger. Milo leapt forward and shoved Tarzan out of the way. The blast caught Milo's shoulder and he cried out in pain, falling over on top of Tarzan.

Rourke laughed and jumped up on top of the box, clipping his chain to the metal loop. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the others to return to the ship. Any attempt by a member of the _Legacy _to climb up after the pirates or to approach Kida was met with merciless gunfire. Cruella started to pull the pirate ship up, dragging the metal box that Rourke was perched on off the deck of the _Legacy._

Dr. Sweet was called to the deck to care for the injured crew members, and Rapunzel eagerly offered her assistance.

Though she'd taken a shot to the side, Amelia stubbornly ordered Eric to follow the pirates upward. Eric followed suit, wary of how close they were getting to leaving the planet's atmosphere. The dark expanse of space was threatening to swallow up both ships, and they all knew that the Leviathan was probably waiting to obliterate them.

Tarzan knelt by Milo until Dr. Sweet came to take him away. Milo gritted his teeth against the pain and told Tarzan, "Whatever it takes...save...Kida."

Tarzan nodded and watched the doctor take Milo before glancing around at the crew. Most of them were now too weak or injured to fight. He and Hercules were among the few who could do anything right now.

Tarzan glared up at where Rourke stood atop the metal container, threateningly wielding his gun. Tarzan turned toward Hercules and whispered, "I'm going up there. I need you to be ready to break that chain."

Hercules frowned. "If we drop that box onto the deck, it could break through the ship."

"Then don't drop it onto the deck."

Hercules started to shake his head. "But-"

Tarzan moved into action before Hercules could argue with him. He quickly scrambled up the mast until he was high enough to leap backward onto the box, catching Rourke by surprise. Rourke turned his gun toward Tarzan, but Tarzan swung himself upward to kick the gun out of Rourke's grip. The gun sailed through the air and landed on the deck, right by Hercules' feet. Hercules quickly picked it up and aimed at the chain while Tarzan continued to fight with Rourke.

"Move the ship aside!" Hercules called to Eric.

Eric looked to Amelia for approval. Having caught onto their plan, Amelia nodded at him. Eric started to move the ship out from under the _Jolly Roger, _leaving Tarzan, Kida and Rourke dangling over the thick clouds. Hercules kept the gun trained on the chain and waited for a clean shot, hoping that Tarzan would jump back onto the ship before it was too late.

Tarzan ducked in time to evade another strike from Rourke, who was having a difficult time trying to knock Tarzan off with one broken arm. Finally, Rourke became enraged enough to barrel toward Tarzan, using one shoulder to knock him over. Tarzan flew backward off the box, then somersaulted in midair and caught onto the side of it, staring wide-eyed into the small frosty window.

"Tarzan!" Jim cried from where he stood watching on the deck.

"Don't worry, Jim. He's got this." Peter assured him, though his expression gave away his own uncertainty.

Rourke swung a fist downward toward Tarzan's head. Tarzan leaned to one side to avoid the punch. Rourke's fist instead smashed through the window, and he howled with pain when a few shards of glass clung to his hand. Rourke stood up and stared at the injured hand as the cuts glowed a threatening red. Suddenly, a blue crystalline material started to grow from inside the gashes and crept over Rourke's skin.

Tarzan glanced toward the window, catching sight of Kida's blank, blue face. Then, he focused on the broken glass and carefully plucked a large shard out of the metal frame. Rourke yelled and grabbed Tarzan's arm with the transformed hand, lifting him upward. Tarzan quickly sliced Rourke's other arm, the broken one, with the glass. Rourke yowled and dropped Tarzan, trying to stop the crystal from growing with his already-mutated arm. Tarzan managed to grab the side of the metal container again and clung to it. He watched as Rourke was transformed into a glistening statue, his shrieks of pain and panic becoming inhuman and his eyes glowing a demonic red as he raised his face skyward. He froze like that, seeming to no longer be a problem.

The crew of the _Legacy _cheered at Tarzan's apparent victory. He leaned back and turned to grin down at them.

"Jump over here so I can break the chain!" Hercules encouraged him, cocking the gun that he still had aimed.

Tarzan readied himself to jump onto the deck, but Rourke's crystalline form suddenly sprang back to life, unleashing a metallic wail and lunging forward to grab at Tarzan again. Tarzan swung around to the adjacent side of the metal box to avoid his grasp.

"Now, Hercules! Shoot it now!" Tarzan shouted as he continued to avoid the monstrous Rourke's attacks.

"No!" Jim protested while Hercules hesitated to pull the trigger.

"Do it!" Tarzan insisted. "_Now! Do it now! _"

Amelia steeled herself and ordered Hercules to do as Tarzan said, in spite of Jim's continual argument. Hercules gave Tarzan a regretful look, which Tarzan couldn't see because he was busy distracting Rourke. Hercules quickly took aim and fired at the chain that kept the container tethered to the _Jolly Roger. _Just like that, Tarzan and Rourke were plummeting toward the ground with Kida.

"Follow them, Eric!" Amelia ordered.

Eric dutifuly turned the ship downward and sailed after their falling comrade. Everyone quickly grabbed ahold of something to stay balanced as the _Legacy _traveled (almost freefalling) down a vertical path.

"They're following us, Amelia!" Robin called from the back of the ship, where he could watch the pirates.

"Shoot them down!" Amelia cried in response. Everyone who was able pulled out their guns and started firing relentlessly at the pirate ship. Amelia looked over at the worried Jim and said, "We just have to make it there before they do."

"You think we can save my brother in time?" Jim asked.

"It's picking up speed, Captain! I don't think I can catch up!" Eric cried.

"Accelerate, then!" Amelia responded.

"The ship won't be able to take it!"

"The ship doesn't have to do anything! Just shut off all systems! We'll let gravity work for us!"

"Are you insane?!" Dr. Doppler screamed.

"You really think that'll work?" Eric asked.

Amelia grinned. "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Eric shook his head and started to shut everything off. "Someone go tell Audrey to kill the engines! Quickly!"

Jim ran off before anyone had to repeat the order, racing down toward the engineering room. Amelia stood with Eric at the helm while Phoebus and John warned everyone to brace themselves. The ship's engines whined into silence and the _Legacy _eased out of its controlled downward cruise and into a much faster plummet toward the planet's surface. The wind whistled deafeningly around them as they fell toward the metal object that Tarzan and Rourke were riding toward what would be certain death.

"We're reaching them! I need engineering on stand-by!" Eric shouted.

"On your signal!" Peter responded, waiting to sprint toward the engineering room.

The ship was only a few yards behind the container now. Tarzan was still clinging to it, but Rourke had him in a vice-like grip and was still trying to throw him off. Tarzan grappled with him, then spotted the distance between them and the _Legacy _shrinking. Hercules ran to the side of the ship and aimed his gun at Rourke's back. He fired a shot, taking Rourke by surprise. Rourke screeched and released Tarzan, fighting to keep his own balance on the container. The ship managed to pull it's bow up next to the container.

"Tarzan, jump on!" Amelia called to him.

Tarzan looked hesitantly between the bow and Kida for a moment, then leapt off the container and wrapped his arms around the bow, hanging onto it as the wind threatened to pull him off.

"Now!" Eric shouted at Peter.

Peter ran down the stairs and for a terrifying moment, the ship continued to dart down toward the planet, its size helping to drag it down faster. Then, the engines roared to life and Eric pulled the ship upward at a sickening rate, making everyone lurch where they stood. The ship made a few alarming turns as Eric tried to wrench it back into control. They hovered just under the clouds in an eerie silence.

Tarzan climbed up onto the bow and walked across it, hopping over to join Eric at the helm.

"That was some fancy flying, there." Tarzan said breathlessly, clapping a hand on Eric's shoulder.

Eric laughed a little in utter disbelief of the accomplishment. "It was the Captain's idea."

"Well, that was fun!" Amelia cried with a feral grin.

A few people groaned in response.

An echoing, machine-like wail and a loud crash from below them made most of the crew look over the side of the ship to see that the container had made its landing. It had burrowed into the ground a few feet, and now lay smoking at the bottom of an impressive crater. A few chunks of lifeless crystal were scattered around it, the last remains of Rourke.

"They've fallen back, Ame-" Robin paused to correct himself as he jogged up to the helm. "Captain. The _Jolly Roger _has taken a lot of damage. They're falling back. It seems that they plan to make an escape before they lose complete control of their vessel."

"Should we pursue them, Captain?" Phoebus asked her.

She shook her head. "If they're that close to wrecking, we'll catch up to them without issue. Right now, we must take the Princess back home." She nodded at Eric, who took the cue to bring the ship down toward the ground. Robin turned to watch as Hook's ship, miles above them, pulled up further and vanished in the clouds.

Eric brought the ship down to hover next to the box and Tarzan leapt down to help Hercules load it on board. Then the _Legacy _took off and sped toward the main city, all the while keeping an eye out for the _Jolly Roger _in case another attack was being planned. It was clear to Amelia that Hook didn't give a damn about Kida or the Heart of Atlantis, but he wasn't going to let Tinkerbell go without a fight. She couldn't help wondering what it was about the sprite that had Hook so invested in her, and made a note to ask Peter about it later on, when they weren't all facing death and the Atlanteans were no longer threatened by extinction.

The _Legacy _landed in the center of the city, where a sea of Atlantean faces greeted them with cheers and open arms. A crowd gathered around in a large circle around the ship and watched eagerly as Hercules carried the metal box off the ship and set it on the ground.

"Now we just need to figure out how to get her out of there..." Milo thought aloud as he and a few other members of the crew joined Hercules on the ground. Milo examined the box and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'm worried about trying to use tools with that substance contaminating the metal... I mean, we saw what it did to Rourke."

Meg rolled her eyes. "If the Princess is so powerful, why doesn't she just get herself out?"

"She appears to be dormant for now..." Jane replied, carefully peeking in at Kida through the tiny broken window. Her view of Kida's face was obstructed by an intense blue glow, making her frown.

"Not dormant." Pocahontas said, seeming transfixed by an input that wasn't reaching the rest of them. Her glassy brown eyes peered up at the clouds in apparent wonder. "Waiting."

Sinbad sighed. "And what does _that _mean?"

His question was quickly answered when canon fire echoed through the air and a nearby building consequently combusted and crumbled. The _Jolly Roger _glided down from its hiding place in the clouds and fired blast after blast upon the unsuspecting city. Amelia immediately ordered everyone back to the ship while the Atlanteans ran for cover. Hercules tried to carry Kida on board, but Pocahontas stopped him. Amelia told Eric to pull up and prepare to return fire. But then, Kida's metal prison began to shudder.

The walls that kept her contained suddenly broke apart and floated away from her, hovering in perfect, unmarked fragments. Then, they rode a wave of energy that erupted from Kida and scattered in all directions, a few pieces piercing through Hook's ship. Kida's expression remained serene as she started to hover up toward the sky, raising her arms at her sides. The blue glow that emanated from her began to leak into every surrounding crack and crevice, bringing the dull old buildings to life. Kida disappeared into the clouds as the Heart's energy built itself up throughout the city, and then throughout the entire planet.

The crew of the _Legacy _watched in wonder as the power of the Heart revived all of Atlantis. Then, Amelia noticed Hook's ship taking off in a last-ditch escape attempt.

"Seems like they know something we don't know." Phoebus mumbled.

"Should we pursue, Captain?" Eric asked.

Amelia shook her head, looking thoughtfully up at the radiating blue glow above the clouds. "I think we should let Kida take care of it."

Suddenly, there was a deafening _clap_ overhead, more powerful than any thunder any of them had ever heard. The very air around then quivered as a transparent shield started to wrap itself around the planet. Everyone watched as the shield reached out toward the Sentinels, which could be seen hovering just outside the planet's atmosphere. Once touched by the shield, the empty eyes of the statues lit up with life, burning with the same blinding blue glow that signaled vitality on Atlantis. The broken pieces floated together and seamlessly repaired themselves to create whole beings, once more animated by the Heart to protect Atlantis. The Sentinels levitated in a uniform ring around the plant, mimicking the rings of Saturn. They each smacked their large stone hands together once in unison, creating another booming _clap. _More blue energy formed between their palms. And as the Sentinels pulled their hands apart and stretched their arms out horizontally, the blue energy expanded in the same fashion as it had before, creating a second layer to the shield that Kida had initially created.

"They'll never get through that wall..." Robin said as he watched the _Jolly Roger _race toward the shield at break-neck speed.

Amelia smirked. "And they know that."

The pirate ship pulled a very sudden turn-over, flipping upside down and turning back toward the planet to avoid colliding with the shield. Whatever damage the ship had taken before contributed to the engine combusting on them. The _Jolly Roger _was caught in a free fall into the Atlantean jungle, cutting through the atmosphere at an uncontrollable speed that made the outside of the ship catch fire and start to pull apart on them.

"They're having a very bad day." John remarked.

"Eric, get after them!" Amelia ordered. He immediately obeyed as she continued, "We can't lose them in a crash. Those bastards need to pay for everything they've done!"

The _Legacy _lifted off and sailed at a dangerous speed toward where the pirate ship was close to plummeting through the jungle's canopy. Everyone hung on and watched anxiously as Eric took them on a fluctuating ride on the _Jolly Roger's _trail. After watching the flaming vessel dip into a large break in the trees just before they could reach it, Eric turned down sharply to follow them into an underground grotto.

The cavernous pocket under the jungle was all rock and water, completely dark aside from the few slivers of light that crept in overhead. The sound of rushing water was deafening and on all sides water sprayed down from hidden crevices in the rock. Eric steered carefully to avoid jagged rocks jutting out from the unpredictable rock formations hidden on the dark. A wave of cold water lashed out over the deck of the _Legacy, _nearly washing a few people away, and Eric was careful to avoid the waterfalls as well.

The _Jolly Roger _fell like a weight, unable to shift its course to avoid any of the obstacles. Its bow smashed against a large rock, crumpling the ship like paper and turning it on one side. It tipped over and teetered off the rock, flipping over and over as it descended toward a large, inky black pool of water at the bottom of the cave.

"Eric, stop! Pull up!" Amelia screeched over the cascading water hissing all around them. "We'll never make it!"

Eric eased the ship to a stop and pulled up slightly, hovering for a moment. The roar of the rushing water was temporarily usurped by an ear-splitting crash from below. The _Jolly Roger _had made its deadly landing on the solid surface of the pool below, momentarily upsetting the deceptively soft waves. The water swallowed the ship up in a matter of seconds. The spray of white foam and mist concealed the grisly scene and soon no sign of the pirates could be detected. Within a few moments, the pool returned to its serene, unbothered state, as though nothing had happened.

Amelia gazed down at the water, narrowing her feline eyes at the large rocks slipping in and out of the gentle waves. It was too dark to tell what lay under the dark water for sure, but...

Amelia shook her head. "No one could survive that fall. Not even them. I'll call the Federation to send a search team to be sure. But for now..." She turned to Eric. "Back to the main city."

Eric nodded and carefully pulled the ship up and out of the cavern, raising them up until they hovered above the trees. Then, he steered them toward the city, where the Atlanteans were watching in awe as Kida, no longer bonded to the Heart of Atlantis, was slowly floating down from the clouds in a ray of soft blue light. Eric pulled the ship up under her so that she would land on the deck. Everyone cleared the way for her to land safely, but Tarzan stepped forward and waited for her to hover down to him. He reached out with both arms and allowed her to land in his embrace. Her toes barely touched the wooden deck and the ray of light vanished, releasing her. She sank against Tarzan's chest, warm and malleable now that she was back to normal. Tarzan gently tightened his grasp in her to make her feel secure.

"Kida?" He whispered, gazing down at her peaceful, apparently sleeping face.

She stirred and quietly mumbled, gaining her own footing but not withdrawing from him. She turned slightly and lifted her chin so that she was looking up at him. To his surprise her once clear, bright blue eyes now shone more vibrantly, a soft echo of the intense glow of the crystal around her neck. Sparkling white spots danced across her irises like starlight playing on a rippling tide. Those eyes that were once so innocent and wondrous now contained knowledge of a power that no one else could understand.

"Tarzan?" She whispered back, and thankfully her voice hadn't changed. Only her eyes were unrecognizable, a fact that left Tarzan both disappointed and grateful. Kida smiled shyly up at him, then bit her lip and shut her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. Tarzan was slightly stunned by this overt display of affection, but quickly melted into it. He heard a few people on the deck snicker or _aww _at the sight, making him blush.

Eric smirked as he started to lower the ship into the city, greeted by the cheering crowd of Atlanteans.

Kida pulled back from Tarzan, slightly surprised from the ship's movement. It dawned on Tarzan that she'd never been on a ship before and its movement was unnatural before. She smiled as she watched the city grow upward around them. Then, she lifted her left fist and opened it to reveal a small bracelet in her palm. Happy tears sprang to her eyes and she muttered a word that Tarzan didn't understand.

She looked up at his confused face and smiled slightly, her lip shaking. "Mother."

Tarzan nodded in understanding and pulled her into another hug.

Only a moment after landing and lowering the boarding ramp, the ship was flooded with Atlanteans who were eager to see their Princess. Tarzan and Kida soon found themselves enveloped by the happy crowd that milled about the deck, welcoming Kida back and congratulating the sailors who'd saved them all.

_**Later That Day...**_

After working until sunset to rebuild the city and its surrounding villages and heal the people, every citizen, Atlantean and human alike, gathered together to host a celebration for their foreign saviors in the main city. With the Heart of Atlantis at its apex power, the scorched and overturned planet was healed in a matter of hours. The flora and fauna were revived, turning Atlantis lush and green once more, and twittering with activity from the jungle's creatures.

The citizens were healed as well, and were more healthy and joyous than they'd been in years. It showed in the expedient way that they worked throughout the day, and then decorated and prepared their feast for the festival. The Atlanteans started to teach their human neighbors all about traditional delicacies, dances, decorations and costumes. This was the first time that the Atlanteans had interacted with the human refugees since Kashekim welcomed them to the planet hundreds of years ago, and it was miraculously harmonious. Grateful to have survived the pirates' attack and have their Princess (now Queen) returned, the citizens eagerly came together for the festival.

Amelia watched proudly as the Atlantean people finally unified. Children from all walks of life ran around and played together, shrieking gleefully. Elders shared stories and songs, and various natives and sailors compared tattoos. In the center of the city, a diverse group of people twirled and hopped in a tribal dance. A band played crude instruments, mostly drums, nearby to supply a beat for the dancers. Glass orbs hanging overhead contained clusters of a rare species of firefly, casting a soft golden glow over the festivities.

"So..." Pocahontas said, grinning as she stepped up next to Amelia. "This is why you do it."

Amelia turned to Pocahontas with a smirk and one raised eyebrow. "What is?"

"This...euphoric feeling. Seeing all these people so happy after you've saved them." Pocahontas looked around at the sight that she never thought she'd see.

Amelia nodded and turned back to watch the dance. "It is nice. Some days are better than others. Hell, some days are particularly awful; that's just a part of the job. But this..." Her eyes lit up. "This is a particularly good day." She turned to smile genuinely at Pocahontas. "This is what makes it all worth it."

Pocahontas nodded and glanced around again. She found entertainment in the various sights of people mingling. Milo was running around like mad with his group, taking part in every Atlantean tradition he could, snapping photos and scribbling down notes. Jane was following along in much the same fashion. Meanwhile, Belle was focused solely on an Atlantean tome that was being translated for her. Hercules sat patiently by her side, smiling to himself at her obvious excitement. Adam seemed bothered by the sight of Hercules holding Belle's hand until Merida came up to him with a large plate of food. She gave him a small smile and held the plate up, offering to share. He nodded gratefully and started picking off the plate. Across the way, Meg and Phoebus were chatting in a conspiratorial manner until Sinbad and his little crew showed up to join the conversation. Meg smirked when Phoebus blushed and ducked his head. Meanwhile, Alice and Wendy had dragged John into the dance. He self-consciously followed along while the two girls laughed at him.

Pocahontas laughed quietly, prompting Amelia to turn toward her again.

"This crew of yours..." Pocahontas smiled at the Captain. "They are good people. All of you are..." She turned again and saw the Kida had managed to tear herself away from the crowd to talk to Tarzan. They stood very close together, their skin almost touching. He cupped her face with one hand and spoke to her in hushed tones, his stormy eyes equally hopeful and sad. Kida looked down at the space between them and decided to close it, pulling herself close to him.

"He knows she won't go with him." Pocahontas muttered as she watched.

Amelia shook her head. "She has a greater responsibility here."

"As do I."

Amelia gave her a subtly doubtful look. "Is that so?"

Pocahontas frowned at her. "I promised Kida I would help change Atlantis for the better."

"Is that supposed to be your job?"

"It should have been my father's." Pocahontas replied bluntly. "The Chiefs should have taken diplomacy with the King upon themselves, instead of being complacent. It is as much my duty as it is Kida's to help our people evolve..." Pocahontas turned to see Tiger Lily sitting with Kenai, Koda and Tanana by a small fire, roasting vegetables. Tiger Lily giggled gleefully with Tanana as she watched the flames char the skin of the vegetable, a tuber of some sort. "And, I must set an example for my daughter. After leaving her and going through all that to achieve this... What would I be teaching her if I decided we should just leave with you?" She watched as Kenai stood and lifted Tiger Lily up to sit on his shoulders. The girl shrieked happily and placed her hands over his eyes, taking to his games quickly and whole-heartedly. Pocahontas's chest flooded with warmth as she caught a glimpse of the future that could be, the future she'd always wanted... If she did decide to leave with Tiger Lily on the _Legacy, _to leave life on Atlantis behind, she doubted that Kenai would come along. He had his own family to think about, and he would never leave them. He'd have to help Denahi and Tanana lead their village.

Amelia tilted her head thoughtfully, her ears twitching upward. "I think you would be teaching her to forge her own path."

Pocahontas turned back to Amelia with a guarded expression.

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "I believe that you've always craved adventure, Pocahontas. That you've always wondered about what exists outside of this isolated little planet. You tell yourself you've seen it all by now, but remain undeniably curious about everything that could be in this universe...and the next. But you got pigeonholed into settling down and you were gifted with that beautiful child and you figured that would be the end of it. But now, you have another chance. You and Tiger Lily both. I believe travel could do you both some good."

Pocahontas thought this over. This was the experience of a lifetime Amelia was offering her and her child. A chance to temporarily (or permanently, if she chose) escape her responsibilities to her people who she'd always felt disconnected from, and instead focus on her duties as a mother. Shape Tiger Lily in her own way, without outside interference. Teach the girl to be her own person, and not just who her father and grandfather always told her to be... The opportunity was tempting.

Still, her connection to the planet made her hesitate. The idea of leaving Atlantis and possibly losing this wondrous gift pained her. She worried that losing her power would be like losing a vital piece of herself, that she would no longer feel whole without it. And without it, how much use would she be to the crew of the ship? And denying herself and Tiger Lily the welcome of the Atlanteans into the heart of their civilization just seemed wrong.

It felt as though Pocahontas was being pulled in two different directions.

"Take the night to think on it. Our ship is nearly repaired, and we're leaving tomorrow, midday." Amelia said in finality. "But, I'd like to encourage you- for completely unbiased reasons- to take this chance. I assure you we'll treat you and your daughter..." She noticed Pocahontas watching Kenai and smirked. "...and whoever else comes along, quite kindly."

Pocahontas smiled slightly at the sailors scattered throughout the crowd, taking part in all the merriment. She had created a few friendships among the members of the _Legacy. _She felt strangely at home on the ship. She'd never been on a ship before, and yet she was naturally acclimated to its movements. She seemed linked to the ship in a similar fashion to how she was linked to nature. Not _actually _linked to it, but the feeling was similar. Like an echo of the feeling of connection to the planet. A comforting feeling of belonging.

Pocahontas couldn't help questioning exactly what her capabilities were at this point.

She noticed Tiger Lily waving her over to join them by the fire. Pocahontas gave Amelia a slight nod before walking away to meet her daughter, who still sat on Kenai's shoulders and munched happily on a roasted pepper. Kenai smiled at Pocahontas in greeting, but her mind was racing and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. All around her, the wind seemed to carry a soft whisper from the trees, two simple lines in her native language that left her shaken.

"Trying to reel in some recruits, eh, Amelia?" Jane asked teasingly as she joined her older sister on the sidelines of the dance.

Amelia avoided meeting Jane's eyes and answered quietly, "We can use all the help we can get at this point, don't you think?"

Jane eyed Amelia knowingly. "You seem troubled by something."

Amelia immediately shook her head. "No, no. Not troubled. Everything's fine."

Jane stared at her. "Amelia."

Amelia sighed. "Alright, well, fine then, if you really want me to be honest. There was a moment earlier... When we had Kida on the ship, and Hades was burning the jungle down... We all knew you and Belle and Merida were in there with him, but you hadn't come out yet. A few people were saying we should wait for you, but I knew we had little time. We had to get out of there..."

"So you were going to leave us."

Amelia turned to Jane to see a small, sad smile on her face. Jane leaned in and whispered, "Daddy told me."

"Do you hate me?" Amelia asked fearfully.

Jane shook her head. "Of course not."

"No?"

Jane took a deep, thoughtful breath. "Amelia... You are my sister, and I love you. And I know you feel the same way. But you've always shown it..._differently _than Daddy or Wendy or I. You're more like mother; rational, calculating, efficient. I'm not going to lie, at times you can seem rather cold."

Amelia's ears twitched and she pouted slightly. "And?"

Jane looked at her sister calmly. "It's always been hard for you to decide what's more important, work or family. Fame or love. What's ideal and what's right. On days like today, when an entire planet's fate is at stake, I like to think you've stood on the right side. I wouldn't have blamed you for leaving us behind. I knew I was playing a small part in something much bigger than myself, and that you had a responsibility to save thousands of other lives. You're the Captain, and I'm just along for the ride, by your grace." Jane smiled, then quickly sobered. "I just hope that you continue to make the right choices...by looking at the bigger picture. You understand?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes."

Jane didn't quite believe her, but smiled any way. "Good."

Then, Milo and Robin came along and insisted on dragging both women along into the dance.

Esmeralda watched from the sidelines, having just gotten away from the dance to catch her breath. Esmeralda was a very skilled dancer and could usually go on for hours without getting tired, but this Atlantean dance was very involved and called for more athletic movement than she was accustomed to. The steps were harsh and feral, aggressive. She was more the free-flowing type. Still, she was never one to turn down learning a new dance. She liked a challenge.

Chel crept up behind Esmeralda and tapped her on the shoulder. Esmeralda turned with a demure look, hoping to find the handsome guitar player from the ship. Instead she looked into her best friend's eyes and laughed. The two girls quickly hugged, then stood together arm-in-arm to watch the excitement.

"The boys and I were gonna hit the dessert table, if you're interested." Chel said.

Esmeralda shook her head. "No desserts for me. Watching my figure."

Chel rolled her eyes. "After almost dying at the hands of pirates, you still only care about your looks?"

Esmeralda smirked when she noticed the handsome man with the hazel eyes and mocha skin joining in with the band with a guitar. "That's not all I care about..."

"His name is Naveen."

Esmeralda turned to Chel in surprise. "What?"

Chel grinned cheekily at her stunned face. "He's the heir of a pretty big inheritance over on the planet Maldonia. A far-away Terran colony. Very small, very rich. His father owns and runs some important company I can't remember the name of."

"How did you find this out?"

Chel shrugged. "I have my ways."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "Illegally, then?"

"I took a peek at his file... I noticed your interest in him and decided to check in and make sure he was clean." Chel tipped her head as Esmeralda turned to check out Naveen again. "You don't need another creep in your life. And I know you and Miguel will never get together, no matter how hard Clopin and I try to make it happen."

Esmeralda chuckled. "And Tulio's not in on that?"

"Tulio doesn't care. He knows you and Miguel will both find love in your own time. He'd actually be more disappointed if you just settled for each other." Chel's face turned serious. "But he'd never tell you that, so don't bring it up."

"Alright..." Esmeralda's face was slowly clouding with doubt as she watched Naveen perform with the natives, stunning them with his masterful playing.

"I approve of him, though." Chel said, nodding discretely toward the prince.

Esmeralda slowly shook her head. "I can't get involved with some rich boy... Not with my past."

"Everyone has a past, Esme. I'm sure even he's done things he's not proud of."

Esmeralda gently pulled her arm out of Chel's and turned her back on Naveen, crossing her arms. Her eyebrows were drawn together, making her forehead scrunch up the way it usually did when she was troubled or deep in thought. (Or both.)

"There's only one thing he could possibly want from a girl like me, and I promised myself that I wouldn't be so generous with that any more." Esmeralda replied sadly. "If he knew about the things we've had to do to get by, he wouldn't respect me. It wouldn't be real."

"You don't know that."

"I know his type."

Chel wrapped an arm around Esmeralda's shoulders and said, "Let's go see about those desserts."

_**Later...**_

Pocahontas stood at the open door to Tiger Lily's temporary room, watching as her daughter slept. Kida had announced tonight that, for the time being, all citizens of Atlantis would be living in the main city. There was just enough room for them all, apparently. Some were placed in bungalows, some in huts, some in rustic tree houses, or tents, but a few were placed in small houses of solid stone. Pocahontas and most of her tribe had been placed here, and though she was sure it was meant to be a comfort, the cold, dark rock only made her feel isolated.

This was where they would be staying while the villages were rebuilt as smaller cities, more sophisticated and comfortable than how the humans had been living before. Kida was intent on fully acclimatizing the refugees to Atlantean culture, and treating them like real citizens. These cities would be places where native Atlanteans, indigenous or not, could live together in harmony. The future looked bright and promising with Kida's plan to blend the two cultures.

And Pocahontas had already been in a meeting with Queen Kida to explain that she wouldn't be around to help that happen.

Now she stood here, lost in thought, as she watched Tiger Lily peacefully slumber, probably dreaming about the adventure that awaited them, an escape from all the horrors that had befallen them here. Though they'd lived here all their lives, it was not their home. Pocahontas realized that now. She'd already packed her few belongings in a sack to take along with her. In the morning, she would help Tiger Lily pack and they would hurry to join the sailors for take-off. Pocahontas wanted to avoid explaining this to Kenai if she could. She knew it was wrong, and irresponsible. But she couldn't stand the look on his face when he was upset. She refused to be the cause of having to see him like that.

This hope was quickly crushed when she heard quiet footsteps behind her. She already knew it was Kenai before she turned to see him standing in the doorway, which remained open permanently due to ages of wear and tear, leaving an empty arch of stone. Kenai offered her a shy smile.

"May I come in?" He asked in a hushed tone, seeing Tiger Lily sleeping over her shoulder.

Pocahontas walked toward him. "Let's talk outside."

Kenai nodded respectfully and turned and go back outside. Pocahontas followed him out. She looked thoughtfully up at the purple night sky, littered with vibrant white stars. A sort of halo of golden light reached up into the night from the firefly lanterns that were still lit in the streets of the city. The insects wouldn't cease to glow until the sun rose.

A few ghostly echoes of conversation reached her from the furthest reaches of the city, whether from small groups that remained in the streets or sat up in their homes, too restless to sleep. Everything in the city was decrepit and open. A few house had make-shift curtains slung over the cavernous windows and doors or broken walls to create some semblance of privacy. But their quiet attempts at talking permeated the air, creating a claustrophobic ambience. Pocahontas couldn't understand how this place could feel like both a home and a prison, both free and suffocating, both inviting and daunting. Despite her desire to flee, she still felt deep within her a desire to belong. She turned to see the _Legacy _parked in front of the gate to the city, still lit up, and felt instantly calm.

Kenai's accusatory tone caused a cold, sinking feeling in her chest.

"You were acting strangely at the feast." He said. She turned to him and his expression softened considerably. His voice was laced with concern, but there was an edge to it that hinted his suspicion that something was wrong. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Pocahontas stood quietly, trying to think of the perfect way to deliver this news.

Kenai continued, "You've been through a lot the last few days. I understand if you're troubled. But-"

"Tiger Lily and I are leaving."

There it was. The shattered expression on his face that she hated. Pocahontas shuddered slightly, surprised by her own blunt words. She'd spoken so impetuously, as if she didn't care how he would react, but only wanted this over with as quickly as possible. She wished that was how she felt. She wanted him to think that so it would be easier for him to let her go. But more than anything she longed to run into his arms and cling to him and hope that he would say something to make her want to stay.

Kenai looked at her for a long time, processing what exactly those words meant. Then, he tilted his head to one side, subtly turning his face from her so she wouldn't see his pain.

"When?" He asked simply, his voice low.

"With the sailors. Tomorrow." She answered, her voice shaking. Despite the warmth emanating from the lanterns, her core felt like ice.

He though this over for a minute. Then, he turned away, crossing his arms. Pocahontas felt like she could fall apart right there, watching him withdraw from her like that.

"Tiger Lily wants to go?" He asked, his own voice trembling now.

"We talked about it before she went to bed. She's eager to get away from here, at least for a little while. Have some distance from the place where her father was killed..."

"For a little while?" Kenai asked, lifting his head without turning to face her. "Does that mean you'll come back?"

Pocahontas hesitated before forcing herself to say, "Possibly."

Kenai knew that was a lie. He always knew when she was lying. He'd recognize that tone any where after the first time he heard her use it: The day she told him her father might consider letting them get married, years ago.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, breathing shallowly.

Pocahontas looked toward the canopy, remembering the whisper she'd heard earlier. "Someone told me to listen to my heart. My heart says to leave."

"Someone or something?" He asked with a humorless laugh.

She didn't answer.

They stood in silence for a long time, Pocahontas biting her lip to keep from crying as she just stared at the back of his head, imagining what could be going through his mind, what his face must look like as he thinks this over, how he's planning to react.

Finally, Kenai turned to face her, with deadly calm resolve.

"I will go with you."

Pocahontas was definitely not expecting that. Kenai only seemed more hurt when she was obviously taken aback, and Pocahontas hoped that he thought she didn't want him to come along. Though a part of her had hoped that he would want to, she believed it would have been too selfish to ask. And now she thought it would be selfish of her to allow it, even if he wanted it. Not only would he be leaving behind all he knew and everyone he loved, the planet would also be losing another person who would be vital to its evolution. Pocahontas couldn't just take Kenai away with her.

"What about your family?" Pocahontas demanded, shaking her head. "You would leave Denahi with the responsibility of caring for Tanana and all of our people? Or I suppose Koda will have to take on such duties so early in his life."

"I will discuss this with them all tonight. They will understand." Kenai went on. "And Tanana and our people are all self-sufficient, and will have help from the other villages and now the Queen herself. There won't be too much responsibility for any one person. Everyone will work together."

"That's what Kida's saying, but we don't know that for sure." Pocahontas replied coldly. "These are groups of people that have never interacted before now. You think they'll all just work together and get along without a single issue?"

"You're being pessimistic."

"Without me here, you must stay and make sure our people thrive. I promised Kida I would help her rebuild, but now I cannot hold my word. You are our best gatherer, and you know the woods almost as well as I do. The people will not survive without you here to help."

"Pocahontas, you aren't listening! With everyone finally coming together, there are hundreds of other gatherers and hunters and medicine people to help. They will not miss me."

Pocahontas had thought of this, but since she did not know the people from the other villages or the city very well, she wasn't sure if she trusted them. It was all well and good to come together for a festival, but how would they all do at actually building a civilization that would survive? The thought of it almost made Pocahontas want to stay and take on her father's title, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do it justice. She was too inexperienced to take on that responsibility, no matter how much help she had. But she did trust Kida enough to keep things running smoothly.

"Kenai, if you and I both leave, what will be stopping the others from wanting to leave? It is best if Tiger Lily and I just go quietly on our own." Pocahontas insisted, grasping at any bit of reasoning that would make Kenai reconsider.

"You are the only person I know who has considered a life away from Atlantis. Everyone else is happy here. They're all excited to bring change to this world. And though I find it a little strange that you're so eager to leave right now-"

"And what is it you want?" Pocahontas demanded.

Kenai paused, caught off-guard by the question. Pocahontas waited patiently for him to answer, though she could tell he was unsure. Kenai shook his head, hurt by the expression on her face, and took a step back from her. That was an answer enough for Pocahontas.

"You want to stay here, with family. This is your home, Kenai. You belong here, you love it here, you've never once thought of leaving before right now. I cannot let you make this decision without thinking it over more carefully." She said, trying to remain level-headed even though all she wanted to do was collapse. She was watching the expression on his face and saw that to both of them, his decision was already clear. As much as he loved her, it was unlikely that he would willingly leave behind everything else he knew and loved for whatever mysteries the rest of the universe held in store.

"Sleep on it and come to me with your decision in the morning. I won't question you then." Pocahontas replied, then quickly turned and hurried back into her house so he would not see her tears.

As far as Pocahontas was concerned, she could not stay, and Kenai could not leave.


End file.
